the liberty of writing to you. I suppose you know that your
uncle sold his practice, but perhaps you don't know why. I heard all
about it from the new man they had. I met him over a case my gov'nor
was conducting. It was all along of Mr Samuel, who used to go on
awfully. He got at last into a lot of trouble and went off. You'll
never believe it; but it's a fact. He's 'listed in the Royal
Artillery."

"And the best place for him," said Uncle Richard, frowning, when he read
the letter in turn; "they will bring him to his senses. By the way,
Tom, Professor Denniston is coming down to see our glass; he wants to
make one himself double the size, and says he would like our advice."

"Our advice, uncle?" said Tom, laughing.

"Yes," said Uncle Richard seriously; "your advice, gained by long
experience, will be as valuable as mine."

One more reminiscence of Tom Blount's country life, and we will leave
him to his star-gazing, well on the high-road to making himself one of
those quiet, retiring, scientific men of whom our country has such good
cause to be proud.

Heatherleigh and its neighbourhood had been very peaceful for four
years, and the word poacher had hardly been heard, when one day, as Tom
was in the laboratory, he heard a sharp tapping being given at the yard
gate with a stick, and going to the window he started, for there was a
tall, dark, smart-looking artillery sergeant, standing looking up, ready
to salute him as his face appeared.

"Cousin Sam!" mentally exclaimed Tom, and his face flushed.

"Beg pardon, sir; can I have a word with you?" came in a loud, decisive,
military way.

"Why, it's Pete Warboys!" cried Tom. "Yes, all right; I'll come down,"
and he went below to where the sergeant stood, drawn up stiff, well
set-up, and good-looking, waiting for the summons to enter.

"Yes, sir, it's me," said the stranger, smiling frankly.

"I shouldn't have known you, Pete."

"S'pose not, sir. They rubbed me down, and set me up, and the clothes
make such a difference. Besides, it's over four years since you saw
me."

"Yes--how time goes; but I did not know you had enlisted."

"No, sir; I never said anything. You see, I came out of prison, and I
didn't want to come back here, for if I had, I couldn't ha' kept away
from the rabbits and birds, and I should have been in trouble again.
You made me want to do better, sir, but I never seemed as if I could;
and just then up comes a recruitin