easant day or not. How
bright and beautiful everything looks! Out-of-doors is a very good sort
of thing, after all. I declare, I've a great mind--pooh! nonsense;
science--glorious science, is a great deal more to be regarded than a
fine day in the country."

[Illustration: DR. MUMBUDGET LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW.]

So saying, he drew his head in again, and turned to his books and
saucepans; for, you see, he was trying to condense gas, and make it dart
through the air like a skyrocket, carrying a letter, or a telegraphic
message, or even a traveller with it, if it was made strong enough; but,
so far, he had only succeeded in breaking his retorts, and blowing
himself up till his head came bump against the ceiling, and knocked off
little bits of plaster. Everything in the study looked remarkably dingy
after the freshness of the fields, and the doctor could not refrain
from taking another peep. This time, the contrast appeared even greater
than before, while directly underneath his window there now stood two
pretty little girls, one holding a great bunch of roses and other
blooming flowers, and both intent on a long leaf of manuscript, which
they were puzzling and laughing over, calling it "such a silly thing!"
Our doctor, to his great dudgeon, recognized it as part of a learned
treatise, his own production, which had accidentally blown out of the
window; but, as to be known as the writer of silly things is not
specially dignified, he preferred saying nothing about the matter.

"I have a great mind," he said again; "yes, I'll go and ask Dr.
Sheepshanks if he does not think it would be a good plan for us to take
a short trip into the country. No doubt we should make some very
important discoveries."

Excusing the idea to himself in this way, Dr. Skihi toddled up one pair
of stairs and down two pair of stairs, and straight along a crooked
corridor, and all round a square hall, until he arrived at the
apartments of Dr. Sheepshanks. He knocked at the door, and peeped
through the keyhole until he was told to come in, when he opened the
door softly, and shut it with an astonished bang, that made all the
spiders, who were dancing hornpipes in all the corners (for the learned
men would have died rather than have their sacred studies disturbed by
a house-cleaning) stand on one leg for several minutes with surprise, as
a noise in the philosophers' palace was a thing rather more seldom met
with than a crononhotonthologos.

The s