d Mr Willows; "at any rate I do for my miserable
suspicions when the fire broke out."

"Don't worry about that," said the Vicar. "It looked horribly black
after his threatenings about revenge. But there, that's all past, and
thank Heaven you can congratulate yourself upon the good that has arisen
out of to-night's dark work."

"Dark!" said Manners, wiping his black face. "I think we had too much
light."

"Not enough to show how that fire broke out," said Mr Willows, gravely.
"I cannot understand how it was caused."

"Couldn't be a spark left by one of the flashes of lightning in the
storms we have had lately, could it?" said Josh, innocently.

"No," said Will, mockingly; "but it might have been a star tumbled
down."

"No, it couldn't!" cried Josh, angrily. "Such stuff! It must have been
started somehow."

"Yes, my boy," said the Vicar, smiling; "but it is a mystery for the
present."

"Let it rest," said Mr Willows. "I don't concern myself about that
now. I have something else on my mind. I shall not rest, Carlile, till
I have thanked that man for all he has done, and shaken him by the
hand."

"Oh, he'll turn up soon, I daresay," said Manners. "Here, I know! he
must have got himself drenched with water."

"Of course!" cried Will. "I saw him lower himself down into the hole to
move the suction-pipe."

"That's it," said Manners, "and he's gone up to the cottage to have a
change."

"At any rate," said the Vicar, "I feel thankful that the trouble has
passed, and I shall be seeing him back at his work to-morrow; eh, Mr
Willows?"

"I hope so," was the reply. "Now then, we must have three or four
watchers for the rest of the night, and those of you who are wet had
better see about a change."

"Well, I'm one," said Manners, "for I feel like a sponge. I'm off to my
diggings, but I shall be back in half an hour to join the watch."

"No, no," cried Mr Willows, "you've done enough. I'll see to that."

"Yes, yes," cried the artist; "I want to come back and think out my plan
for a new picture of the mill on fire. It'll be a bit of history, don't
you see, and I want to get the scene well soaked into my mind."

"It ought to be burned in already," said Will, laughing.

"Perhaps it is," said the artist, merrily; and he hurried away.

So much time had been spent that, to the surprise of all, the early dawn
was beginning to show, and as it broadened it displayed the sorry sight
of one end of the mill