"Most ingenious," said Eves, making a mental note of the position of the tank. "If it answers, I suppose you will make a tank to cover the whole of the ceiling." "Surely, and put it into every house, hall or church I build." "Johnson, where are you?" came a call from below. "’Tis Mr. Noakes himself, come to bother me again!" said Johnson in an undertone. Aloud he cried: "Coming, Mr. Noakes, coming! ... Belike you’ll bide here a bit," he added with a smile. "I’m not keen on meeting your worthy mayor," replied Eves. "I’ll come down when he’s gone." Through the matchboard Eves clearly heard the conversation between the two men. "Look ’ee here, Johnson," began Noakes, irritably, "this won’t do. The place is as cold as an ice-house, and my orders was to heat en well. Folks won’t be no good listening to speeches if they’re all of a shiver." "Why, bless ’ee, Mr. Noakes, ’tis only ten o’clock. There’s plenty of time to get the room comfortable warm by seven. The furnace is going, and you don’t want the place like a greenhouse, do ’ee? Folks ’ud all drop asleep." "There’s a medium, Johnson. I count on you to regulate the furnace so’s we’re cosy-like. ’Tis a raw morning, and ’twill be worse to-night. Keep the furnace going steady, and come four o’clock shet all the winders to keep out the night air." "But what about ventilation? If so be there’s a good audience you’ll have women fainting, and I don’t know what all." "There’ll be plenty of ventilation through the matchboard," said Noakes, looking upward. "Besides, we’ve always the winders to cool the air if need be, but if you ain’t got a good fire—why there you are! See that my orders are carried out, Johnson." "Very good. You shall have it like an oven if you like: ’tis not for me to say." Noakes, whose face suggested the recent application of a beefsteak, inspected the rows of chairs, mounted the platform and re-arranged the table, scolded the charwoman who had left her dust-pan on the chairman’s seat, and finally departed. Then Eves rejoined the builder. "They’ll be warm afore they gets to work," said the latter, smiling, "And if so be there’s any opposition, I won’t say but what tempers ’ll rise to biling point. However!" "A queer man, your mayor!" said Eves. "By the way, I’d like to have a look at your furnace." "Surely, sir. Come wi’ me." He led Eves into the basement, where a young man in shirt-sleeves was stoking the fire. "I’ll have to keep ’ee to-night, Fred," said the builder, "and sorry I be to say it, but the mayor’s just been talking to me, and wants the place hotted up. You must stay till eight, my lad, and leave a good fire when you go: there’s no telling how long the speechifying will last; these ’lection meetings are that uncertain." The stoker brushed his arm across his damp brow, and muttered something uncomplimentary of the mayor. Johnson expounded to Eves the merits of his heating system, and followed him up the stairs again.