get the keys first."

"Keys? Why, I thought you were all so beautifully innocent, that you
never locked up anything in the country."

"But we do," said Tom. "Wait a minute. I'll soon be back."

"Don't hurry yourself, bumpkin. I'll have some more raspberries."

"I should like to bumpkin him," thought Tom, as he ran in, got the keys,
and hurried back to where Sam was "worrying the rarsps," as David
afterwards indignantly said; and then the boys walked together out into
the lane, and from thence through the gate into the mill-yard.

"Do you ever come here with him moon-shooting?" said Sam contemptuously.

"Uncle has not been doing any astronomy lately," replied Tom; and
feeling that he could not chat about their private life, he refrained
from saying anything about the work upon which they had been engaged,
but contented himself with showing the workshop, and then leading the
way into the laboratory.

"What do you do here?" said Sam, looking contemptuously round.

"This is the laboratory."

"Dear me, how fine we are! What's in these bottles on the shelves?"

"Chemicals."

"That your desk where you do your lessons?"

"No; that's uncle's bureau where he keeps his papers. We're going to
have another table, and some chemistry and astronomical books up soon.
Uncle says that he shall make this an extra study."

"Keeps his papers, eh? His will too, I suppose?"

"I don't know," said Tom.

"Yes, you do. None of your sham with me, I know you, Master Tom. That
the way up-stairs?"

"Yes," said Tom quietly; and they went on up the steps.

"Just as if you wouldn't be artful enough to know all about that. Bound
to say you've read it half-a-dozen times over."

"I haven't looked in uncle's drawers, and if I had I shouldn't have read
any of his papers."

"Not you, of course. Too jolly good; you are such a nice innocent sort
of boy. Halloo! that the telescope? what a tuppenny-ha'penny thing."

"Uncle is going to have a big one soon."

"Oh, is he! What's that door for?"

"To open and look out at the stars."

"And that wheel?"

"To turn the whole of the roof round."

"Turn it then."

Tom obeyed good-humouredly enough, though at heart he resented the
hectoring, bullying way adopted by his cousin, and thought how glad he
would be when Monday came.

Then the shutter was opened, and the lads got out into the little
gallery, where Tom began to point out the beauty of the landscape, and
the distant hou