erday, and put in the second. If
it had not been for that, one pipe would have been always open, and
there could have been no explosion."

"Humph! I see," said the doctor.

"But I ought to have left them turned on, and I should have done so,
only I did not think that there was going to be any fire this morning."

"Here, come back, and let's see the extent of the mischief in the
kitchen. That piece of new wall is blown out, you see."

He pointed to the loose bricks and mortar thrust out into quite a bow;
and then they walked sadly back into the house, where cook's voice could
be heard scolding volubly, mingled with Aunt Hannah's milder tones,
though the latter could hardly be heard as they entered the devastated
kitchen, from which the smoke and dust had now pretty well disappeared,
making the damage plain to see. And very plain it was: the new boiler
stood in front of the grate, with a hole ripped in one side, the wrought
iron being forced out by the power of the steam, just as if it had been
composed of paper; the kitchen range was broken, and the crockery on the
dresser exactly opposite to the fireplace looked as if it had been swept
from the shelves and smashed upon the floor. Chairs were overturned;
the table was lying upon its side; tins, coppers, graters, spoons and
ladles were here, there, and everywhere. The clock had stopped, and the
culinary implements that ornamented the kitchen chimney-piece had
evidently flown up to the ceiling. In short, scarcely a thing in the
place had escaped some damage, while dust and fragments of plaster
covered every object, and the only witness of the explosion, the cat,
which had somehow been sheltered and escaped unhurt, was standing on the
top of the cupboard, with its eyes glowering and its tail standing
straight up, feathered out like a plume.

"Oh, my dear, my dear, what a scene!" cried Aunt Hannah, piteously.
"Vane must never perform any more experiments here."

She had just come to the back kitchen-door, and was looking in.

"Oh, Aunt! Aunt!" cried Vane.

"All very well to blame the poor boy," said the doctor with mock
severity. "It was your doing entirely."

"Mine, Thomas!" faltered Aunt Hannah.

"Of course it was. You were told not to have the kitchen-fire lit."

"Yes--yes," wailed Aunt Hannah; "and I forgot it."

"It was not only that, Aunt, dear," said Vane, going to her side, and
taking her hand. "It was my unlucky experiment was the principal