Part 18 (1/2)

Uncle Richard s 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 withthe 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 thethe ork of the sails, while others began to disconnect the ht up all the idlers of the village, who hung about looking on--so look upon their countenances, as they let drop re 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 rily as he felt that these peopledisreat ar, 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 ti had assumed the appearance of a tohose 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 baseainst the wall

”Hah!” said Uncle Richard, ”at the end of a week,” as he went up to the top-floor of the mill with his nephew

”Is it only a week, uncle?” said Tom ”Why, it see and tedious, boy?”

”Oh no, uncle,” said To, and yet the ti”

”Then you can't have been very miserable, my boy?”

”Miserable!” cried Tom

That was all; and Uncle Richard turned the conversation by pointing to the roof

”There,” he said, ”that used to swing round easily enough with the weight of those huge sails, which looked so little upon the ht to move easily now, boy”

Tolided round upon its pivot with the greatest ease

”Yes, that's all very well,” said his uncle, ”but it will have to be disconnected frolass”

”That?” said Toh the floor right to the baserandly steady stand edged tight To a great extent this place is as good as if it had been built on purpose for an observatory I shall be glad though e get rid of the workmen, and all the litter and rubbish are cleared away”

That afternoon a couple of carpenters began work, devoting themselves at first to the wooden dome-like roof, which they were to furnish from top to bottom with a narrow shutter, so forht over on to the roof, leaving a long slip open to the sky

That night, after he had gone up to his bedroo out so as to have a good look at the sky which spread above, one grand arch of darkest purple spangled with golden stars To his right was the tower-like mill, and behind it almost the only constellation that he knew, to wit, Charles's Wain, with every star distinct, even to the little one, which he had been told represented the boy driving the horses of the old northern waggon

”How thick the stars are to-night,” he thought, as he traced the light clusters of the Milky Way, noting how it divided in one place into two

Then he tried to make out the Little Bear and failed, wondered which was the Dog Star, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn, and ended by giving his ear a vicious rub

”A fellow don't seeht ”How stupid I must seem to Uncle Richard But I mean to know before I've done Hark!”

He listened attentively, for in the distance a nightingale was singing, and the sweet notes were answered froreater distances still, the notes, though faint, sounding deliciously pure and sweet

”Who would live in London?” he said to hi of pleasure and sadness came over him, as he dwelt upon his position now, and how happy life had suddenly beco away,” he said softly, as he looked do at the dimly-seen shrubs about the lawn ”Uncle Richard doesn't seem to think I'm such a fool Wonder whether I can learn all about the stars”