Noakes, as if to resolve a doubt or satisfy his curiosity, crept across the room, doubled himself, and looked up the chimney. There was a rattling sound, and Noakes was half obliterated in a mass of soot, clouds of which floated past him into the room. Hatless, choking, rubbing his eyes, he staggered back. [Illustration: "THERE WAS A RATTLING SOUND, AND NOAKES WAS HALF OBLITERATED."] "I say, Mr. Noakes, what _are_ you up to?" said Eves, entering with the sacks. "What a frightful mess you’re in!" "’Tis your doing," spluttered Noakes, shaking the soot from his clothes. "’Tis you, I know ’tis, and I’ll—I’ll——" "Gently, Mr. Noakes, don’t be rash. Why you should accuse me when I’m perfectly innocent—you’ve hurt my feelings, Mr. Noakes." "What about my feelings?" shouted the angry man. "’Tis a plot betwixt you and t’other young villain, and——" "Really, Mr. Noakes, with every consideration for your wounded feelings, I must say I think you most insulting. Who on earth was to know that you’d be paying one of your visits just at the moment when the chimney was being swept, and would choose that very moment to look up the chimney? You surely didn’t expect to find Mr. Trenchard there?" Noakes glared; at the same time his eyes expressed a certain uneasiness. How much had this smooth-spoken young ruffian seen? Picking up his hat he shook the soot from it, rammed it on his head, and strode to the door. There he turned, shouted, "You’ve not heard the last of this," and hurried away. When Templeton came in a minute later he found Eves sitting back in a chair, shaking with laughter. "My word, what a frightful mess!" exclaimed Templeton. "I forgot all about a covering. It’s nothing to laugh at." "Oh, isn’t it! If you’d only seen him, soot all over his greasy head, and the more he rubbed his face the worse it got." "What on earth are you talking about?" "Old Noakes. It’s a priceless invention, Bob. Great minds don’t think of little things, but _I_ remembered the covering and fetched these two sacks. When I got back Noakes was here, prying into Trenchard’s papers. But I fancy he heard a sound, for he went over to the chimney, and then—by George! you’ve missed the funniest sight ever seen. He’s only just gone, in a most frightful paddy." "I don’t wonder. Don’t see anything funny in it myself. I called down ’Are you ready?’ and if you’d been here as we arranged it wouldn’t have happened." "Of course it wouldn’t, and old Noakes wouldn’t have been jolly well paid out for sneaking. What’s he want nosing about at a time when he thought every one was out? Trenchard must be told." "I don’t know about that, but I do know we’d better clear up this mess before Mrs. Trenchard gets back." "Or she’ll think precious little of your invention. It’s a great success, anyway; you’ve got more soot than you expected. And old Noakes carried away a lot." *III*