but I don't think any of us are much the worse. We only
want rest. Take the couch, Maxted, and lie down."

"Well--er--really," said the Vicar; "if you will not think it selfish of
me, I believe it would do my head good if I lay down for an hour. I am
a good deal shaken."

Mrs Fidler sighed and left the room as the Vicar took the couch, Uncle
Richard one easy-chair, and Tom the other, to lie back and listen to the
murmur of voices out in the lane, where the village people were still
discussing the startling affair. Every now and then some excited
personage raised his voice, and a word or two floated through the window
about "lightning," and "heared it," and "mussy no one was killed."

Uncle Richard was the first to break the silence by saying dryly--

"I'm afraid Mrs Fidler does not believe in the thunder and lightning
theory."

"No?" said the Vicar, turning his head.

"No," said Uncle Richard, smiling, but wincing at the same time; "she
has had experience of me before in my dabblings in other things. What
do you say was the cause of the trouble, Tom?"

"Well, I should say, uncle, that the silver was too strong for the
glass, and made it split all to pieces."

"Not a bad theory," said Uncle Richard. "What do you say, Maxted?"

"Well," said the Vicar, "do you know, I'm puzzled. Of course it was not
an electric shock, and my knowledge of chemistry is so very shallow; but
really and truly, I feel convinced, that you must have got hold of wrong
chemicals, and formed some new and dangerous explosive compound."

"Quite right, only it was not new," said Uncle Richard. "As soon as I
could collect my shattered thinking powers, I began to consider about
what I had done, and I think I see correctly now. The fact is, I forgot
one very important part of the instructions I have for silvering
mirrors."

"Indeed!" said the Vicar, in an inquiring tone, while Tom pricked up his
singing ears.

"Yes," said Uncle Richard. "You remember how the silvery surface was
covered with a greyish powder?"

"Yes, thickly," said Tom.

"That had no business there, and it would not have been if I had been
more careful to remember everything. When I took the speculum glass out
of the silvering bath, I ought to have deluged it with pure water till
all that greyish powder was washed away, then it would have been fairly
bright."

"Yes, uncle; but what has that to do with the explosion?"

"Everything, my boy. If there had been no