arn't thinking o' nothing else, going spinning down the hill, and
steering hisself right into the old sand-pit."

"And I don't see that you have anything to laugh at in that," said Tom
stiffly.

"More don't I, Master Tom, but I keep on laughing all the more, and
can't help it. Now if he had been very badly, I don't think I could ha'
done it."

"My uncle is very ill, and came down here for the benefit of his
health," said Tom sternly.

"Then your nursing, Master Tom, and my vegetables and fruit's done him a
lot o' good, for the way he walked home after being spilt did us a lot
o' credit. I couldn't ha' walked better."

Tom thought the same, though he would not say so, but helped the
gardener place the wrecked chair in the coach-house, and then found his
uncle coming that way.

"Get the wheelbarrow, Tom," he said, "and we'll take the new discs of
glass into the workshop."

"And begin again, uncle?" cried Tom excitedly.

"What, are you ready to go through all that labour again?"

"Ready, uncle?" cried the boy reproachfully. "Why, all the while Uncle
James has been down here it has seemed to be like so much waste of
time."

"Humph!" ejaculated Uncle Richard; "then we must work over hours to win
back the loss. Help him on with the case carefully, David, and I'll go
first to open the door."

"Say, Master Tom," said the gardener, "ain't it more waste o' time to go
glass-grinding and making contrapshums like this? Hey, but it's
precious heavy," he continued, as he helped to lift one end of the case
on to the long barrow.

"Waste of time to make scientific instruments?" cried Tom.

"Ay. What's the good on it when it's done?"

"To look at the sun, moon, and stars, to be sure."

"Well, you can do that without tallow-scoops, sir; and you take my
advice, don't you get looking at the sun through none o' them things,
sir. Hey, but it be a weight!" he continued, raising the handles of the
barrow.

"Never mind; I can manage it," cried Tom.

"Then I arn't going to let you, sir."

"Why not?"

"'Cause my muskles is hard and yours is soft, and may get stretched and
strained. Hold that there door back. It's all up-hill, you know;
master never thought o' that."

David wheeled the heavy case up to the door of the old mill, helped to
carry the case in, and then in a whisper said--

"Let's have a look at him when you've done, Master Tom."

"Look at whom?" said the boy wonderingly.

"Man in the moon," rep