ear, you understand now the tremendous force of
steam."

"Yes, my dear," said Aunt Hannah, sorrowfully. "I do indeed."

"And if ever in the future you see anyone sitting upon the safety valve
to get up speed, don't hesitate for a moment, go and knock him off."

"My dear Thomas," said Aunt Hannah, dolefully, "this is no subject for
mirth."

"Eh? Isn't it? I think it is. Why, some of us might have been scalded
to death, and we have all escaped. Don't you call that a cause for
rejoicing? What do you say, Vane?"

"I say, sir, that I shall never forgive myself," replied the lad sadly.

"Not your place, Weathercock, but mine, and your aunt's. I'll forgive
you freely, and as for your aunt, she can't help it because she was
partly to blame."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

ANXIETIES.

"Hallo, boiler-burster," cried Gilmore, next time they met, while Macey
ran into a corner of the study to turn his face to the wall and keep on
exploding with laughter, "when are you going to do our conservatory up
here?"

"Oh, I say, don't chaff me," cried Vane, "I have felt so vexed about it
all."

"Distie has been quite ill ever since with delight at your misfortune.
It has turned him regularly bilious."

"Said it was a pity you weren't blown up, too," cried Macey.

"Bah! don't tell ugly tales," said Gilmore.

"I wish I could feel that he did not," thought Vane, who had a weakness
for being good friends with everybody he knew.

He had to encounter plenty of joking about the explosion, and for some
time after, Bruff used to annoy him by turning away when they met, and
shaking his shoulders as if convulsed with mirth, but after a sharp
encounter with Vane, when he had ventured to say he knew how it would
be, he kept silence, and later on he was very silent indeed.

For the new boiler came down, and was set without any objection being
made by cook, who was for some time, however, very reluctant to go near
the thing for fear it should go off; but familiarity bred contempt, and
she grew used to it as it did not go off, and to Bruff's great disgust
it acted splendidly, heating the greenhouse in a way beyond praise, and
with scarcely any trouble, and an enormous saving of fuel.

Vane was so busy over the hot-water apparatus, and had so much to think
about with regard to the damages in connection with the explosion, that
he had forgotten all about the adventure in the lane just prior to
meeting Macey, till one day, when out botani