" cried cook, sitting up suddenly, and speaking indignantly:
"and I won't stop another day in a house where such games is allowed.
I'd got a good fire by half-past six, and was busy in the back kitchen
when it went off. Me get powder to blow up copper holes? I scorn the
very idee of it, sir. It's that master Vane put powder among the coals
to play me a trick."

"I didn't," cried Vane.

"Don't say that, sir," interposed Bruff, "why, I see the greenhouse
chockfull o' smoke as I come by."

Vane had turned quite cold, and was staring at his uncle, while his
uncle with his face full of chagrin and perplexity was staring at him.

"You've done it this time, my boy," said the doctor, sadly.

"Is anybody killed?--is anybody killed?" cried Aunt Hannah from the
hall. "I can't come through the kitchen. My dear Vane! oh, do speak."

"No one hurt," shouted the doctor. "Come, Vane."

He led the way through the shattered kitchen, which was a perfect wreck;
but before he could reach the hall, Vane had passed him.

"Aunt! Aunt!" he cried; "did you tell cook not to light the
kitchen-fire?"

"Oh, dear me!" cried Aunt Hannah; "what a head I have. I meant to, but
I quite forgot."

There was silence in the hall for a few moments, only broken by a sob or
two from the back kitchen. Then Aunt Hannah spoke again.

"Oh, I am so sorry, my dear. But is anybody very badly hurt?"

"Yes," said the doctor, dryly. "Vane is--very."

"My dear, my dear! Where?" cried Aunt Hannah, catching the lad by the
arm.

"Only in his _amour propre_" said the doctor, and Vane ran out of the
hall and through the front door to get round to the greenhouse, but as
he opened the door of the glass building the doctor overtook him, and
they entered in silence, each looking round eagerly for the mischief
done.

Here it was not serious: some panes of glass were broken, and two or
three pipes nearest to the wall were blown out of their places; but
there was the cause of all mischief, the two taps in the small tubes
which connected the flow and return pipes were turned off, with the
consequence, that there was no escape for the steam, and the closed
boiler had of course exploded as soon as sufficient steam had generated,
with the consequences seen.

"Pretty engineer you are, sir," cried the doctor, "to have both those
stop-cocks turned."

"There ought not to have been a second one, uncle," said Vane dolefully.
"I let them get the better of me yest