y down here.
Mind! don't break that. Cast-iron's brittle."

"Brittle! It's everything as is bad, sir. But you're right, theere.
Niver a bit o' railway would I hev hed. Coach and waggon was good enew
for my feyther, and it was good enew for me."

"Come along," said Vane; "let's get all in their places, as they'll be
in the greenhouse."

"Ay, we'll get 'em in, I suppose," grumbled the gardener, "bud you mark
my words, Mester Vane; them water pipes 'll nivver get hot, and, when
they do, they'll send out a nasty, pysonous steam as'll kill ivery
plahnt in the greenhouse. Now, you see?"

"Grumble away," said Vane; and Bruff did grumble. He found fault at
being taken away from his work to help in Master Vane's whims, murmured
at having to help move the boiler, and sat down afterwards, declaring
that he had hurt his back, and could do no more that day; whereupon
Vane, who was much concerned, was about to fetch the doctor, but Bruff
suddenly felt a little better, and gradually came round.

Matters had gone as far as this when voices were heard in the avenue,
and Gilmore and Macey made their appearance.

Vane's first movement was to run and get his jacket to put on; but he
stopped himself, and stood fast.

"I don't mind their seeing me," he muttered. But he did, and winced as
the joking began, Gilmore taking a high tone, and asking Vane for an
estimate for fitting up a vinery for him.

Gilmore and Macey both saw that their jokes gave annoyance; and, to turn
them off, offered to help, Macey immediately taking off his coat,
hanging it over the greenhouse door, and seizing the end of a pipe to
move it where it was not wanted.

"Don't be jealous, Bruff," he cried, as he saw the gardener stare.
"I'll leave a little bit of work for you to do."

Bruff grinned and scratched his head.

"Oh, if it comes to that, Mester Macey," he said, "you come here any
time, and I'll give you some sensible work to do, diggin' or sweeping."

"I say," whispered Vane, the next minute, when he had contrived to get
Macey alone, "what made you take off your coat?"

"So as to help."

"No, it wasn't, or not alone for that. You were thinking about what
Distin said about my not being fit to associate with gentlemen."

Macey flushed a little, like a girl.

"Nonsense!" he said.

"Now, confess. The truth!"

"Oh, I don't know. Well, perhaps. Here, come along, or we shan't get
done to-day."

They did not get done that day; in fact th