d Tom. "I want to know what
all these things are for, and how you use them; but I'm ready now."

"That's right. The men are coming this morning to begin clearing away."

"So soon, uncle?"

"Yes, so soon. Life's short, Tom; and at my age one can't afford to
waste time. Come along."

Tom began thinking as he followed his uncle, for his words suggested a
good deal, inasmuch as he had been exceedingly extravagant with the time
at his disposal, and much given to wishing the tedious hours to go by.

"Here they are," said Uncle Richard; for there was the sound of a
horse's hoofs, and the crushing noise made by wheels in the lane.

"But I thought you were going to make the place into an observatory
yourself, uncle, with me to help you?"

Uncle Richard smiled.

"It would be wasting valuable time, Tom," he said, "even if we could do
it; but we could not. I've thought it over, and we shall have to
content ourselves with making the glass."

On reaching the mill-yard it was to find half-a-dozen people there with
ladders, scaffold-poles, ropes, blocks, and pulleys. There was a short
consultation, and soon after the men began work, unbolting the woodwork
of the sails, while others began to disconnect the millstones from the
iron gearing.

This business brought up all the idlers of the village, who hung about
looking on--some in a friendly way, others with a sneering look upon
their countenances, as they let drop remarks that contained anything but
respect for the owner of the place. But though they were careful not to
let them reach Uncle Richard's ears, it seemed to Tom that more than
once an extra unpleasant speech was made expressly for him to hear; and
he coloured angrily as he felt that these people must know why the mill
was being dismantled.

The work went on day after day, and first one great arm of the mill was
lowered in safety, the others following, to make quite a stack of wood
in a corner of the yard, but so arranged that one side touched the
brickwork, as there was no need to leave room now for the revolution of
the sails.

By this time the building had assumed the appearance of a tower, whose
sides curved up to the wooden dome top, and the resemblance was
completed as soon as the fan followed the sails.

Meanwhile the iron gearing connected with the stones had been taken down
inside; then the stones had followed, being lowered through the floors
into the basement, and from thence carefully rolled,