ad to make some alterations."

"Looks a rum set-out," continued Gilmore, and Distin stood and smiled.
"Oh, I say, while I remember," cried Gilmore, "there was a little girl
wanted you this morning, Dis. Said she had a message for you."

"Oh, yes, I saw her," said Distin, nonchalantly. "Begging--I saw her."

"She'll always be following you," said Macey. "Why, that makes four
times she has been after you, Dis."

"Oh, well, poor thing, what can one do," said Distin, hurriedly; "some
mother or sister very ill, I believe. But I say, Vane," he continued,
as if eager to change the conversation, "where is this thing to go?"

"In the stern of the boat."

"Stern? Why, it will fill the boat, and there will not be room for
anything else."

"Oh, but the future ones will be made all of iron, and not take up half
the space."

Gilmore touched a lever and moved a crank.

"Don't, don't," yelled Macey, running to the door, "it will go off."

There was a roar of laughter, in which all joined, and Vane explained
the machine a little more, and above all that this was only a tentative
idea and just to see if the mechanism would answer its purpose.

"But, I say," cried Gilmore, "it looks like a wooden lathe made to turn
water."

"Or a mangle," said Distin, with a sneer of contempt.

"Wrong, both of you," cried Macey, getting toward the door, so as to be
able to escape if Vane tried to get at him. "I'll tell you what it's
like--a knife-grinder's barrow gone mad."

"All right," said Vane, "laugh away. Wait till you see how it works."

"When are you going to try it?" said Gilmore.

"To-morrow afternoon. Mr Round's going to send a cart for it and four
of his men to get it down."

"We will be there," said Macey with a scowl such as would be assumed by
the wicked man in a melodrama, and then the workshop was locked up.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

TRYING AN EXPERIMENT.

"Pray, pray, be careful, Vane, my dear," cried Aunt Hannah, the next
afternoon, when the new propeller had been carefully lifted on to the
miller's cart, and the inventor rushed in to say good-bye and ask the
doctor and his aunt to come down for the trial, which would take place
in two hours' time exactly.

Then he followed the cart, but only to be overtaken by the rector's
other three pupils, Macey announcing that Mr Syme was going to follow
shortly.

Vane did not feel grateful, and he would have rather had the trial all
alone, but he was too eager