."

"Oh!" said Tom, who felt very much in the dark, and he followed his
uncle to the neat sink that had been fitted in the laboratory, and
helped him wash a series of wide-mouthed stoppered bottles, which were
afterwards carefully dried and labelled in a most methodical way.

"Saves time, Tom, to be careful," said Uncle Richard, who now took up a
pen and wrote upon the label of the smallest bottle "Emery, 60 min."

"There, that's for the contents of the big basin."

"Want a genii to get a pailful into that little bottle, uncle," said
Tom, laughing.

"We'll get all we want into it to-morrow, Tom," was the reply. "Now
then, how do you feel--ready for one hour's more grinding at the
speculum, or shall we leave it till to-morrow?"

"I want to finish it, and see the moon," said Tom sturdily, as he rolled
up his sleeves a little more tightly. "Let's get on, uncle, and finish
it."

"Or get an hour nearer," said Uncle Richard; and they went down and
ground till Mrs Fidler summoned them to their meal.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

The next morning came a letter from Mornington Crescent, announcing that
James Brandon had met with an accident, and been knocked down by a cab.
The letter was written by Sam, evidently at his father's dictation, and
on the fly-leaf was a postscript self-evidently not at James Brandon's
dictation, for it was as follows--

"P.S.--Dear Uncle, there isn't much the matter, only a few bruises,
only the pater makes such a fuss. Thought you'd like to know."

"Charming youth, your cousin," said Uncle Richard, as he rose and went
into his little study to answer the letter, leaving Tom at liberty for a
few minutes, which he utilised by going down the garden to where David
was busy.

"Morning, sir. How's the machine getting on?"

"Capitally, David."

"That's right, sir. I hope you and the master 'll make some'at out of
it, for people do go on dreadful about it down the village."

"Why, what do you mean?"

"Well, sir, of course it's their higgorance. You and me knows better,
and I shouldn't like master to know, but they lead me a horful life
about it all. They say master's got a crack in his head about that
thing he's making, and that he ought to be stopped."

"Why?" said Tom, laughing.

"Oh, it's nothing to laugh about, sir. They say the place won't be
safe, for he'll be having a blow-up one of these days with his
contrapshums."

"What nonsense!"

"Well, sir, I don't know about th