“Well, of all the ungrateful, grumbling fellows!” cried Vane. “Isn’t it to save you from coming up here on cold, frosty nights to stoke the fire?”
“Nay, bud it wean’t,” said Bruff, with a grin. “Look here, Mester Vane, I’ve sin too many of your contraptions not to know better. You’re going to have the greenhouse pulled all to pieces, and the wall half knocked down to try your bits o’ tricks, and less than a month they’ll all have to be pulled out again, and a plain, good, old English flue ’ll have to be put up as ought to be done now.”
“You’re a stubborn old stick-in-the-way, Bruff. Why, if you could have done as you liked, there would never have been any railway down here. Mind! don’t break that. Cast-iron’s brittle.”
“Brittle! It’s everything as is bad, sir. But you’re right, theere. Niver a bit o’ railway would I hev hed. Coach and waggon was good enew for my feyther, and it was good enew for me.”
“Come along,” said Vane; “let’s get all in their places, as they’ll be in the greenhouse.”
“Ay, we’ll get ’em in, I suppose,” grumbled the gardener, “bud you mark my words, Mester Vane; them water pipes ’ll nivver get hot, and, when they do, they’ll send out a nasty, pysonous steam as’ll kill ivery plahnt in the greenhouse. Now, you see?”
“Grumble away,” said Vane; and Bruff did grumble. He found fault at being taken away from his work to help in Master Vane’s whims, murmured at having to help move the boiler, and sat down afterwards, declaring that he had hurt his back, and could do no more that day; whereupon Vane, who was much concerned, was about to fetch the doctor, but Bruff suddenly felt a little better, and gradually came round.
Matters had gone as far as this when voices were heard in the avenue, and Gilmore and Macey made their appearance.
Vane’s first movement was to run and get his jacket to put on; but he stopped himself, and stood fast.
“I don’t mind their seeing me,” he muttered. But he did, and winced as the joking began, Gilmore taking a high tone, and asking Vane for an estimate for fitting up a vinery for him.