“There ought not to have been a second one, uncle,” said Vane dolefully. “I let them get the better of me yesterday, and put in the second. If it had not been for that, one pipe would have been always open, and there could have been no explosion.”
“Humph! I see,” said the doctor.
“But I ought to have left them turned on, and I should have done so, only I did not think that there was going to be any fire this morning.”
“Here, come back, and let’s see the extent of the mischief in the kitchen. That piece of new wall is blown out, you see.”
He pointed to the loose bricks and mortar thrust out into quite a bow; and then they walked sadly back into the house, where cook’s voice could be heard scolding volubly, mingled with Aunt Hannah’s milder tones, though the latter could hardly be heard as they entered the devastated kitchen, from which the smoke and dust had now pretty well disappeared, making the damage plain to see. And very plain it was: the new boiler stood in front of the grate,
with a hole ripped in one side, the wrought iron being forced out by the power of the steam, just as if it had been composed of paper; the kitchen range was broken, and the crockery on the dresser exactly opposite to the fireplace looked as if it had been swept from the shelves and smashed upon the floor. Chairs were overturned; the table was lying upon its side; tins, coppers, graters, spoons and ladles were here, there, and everywhere. The clock had stopped, and the culinary implements that ornamented the kitchen chimney-piece had evidently flown up to the ceiling. In short, scarcely a thing in the place had escaped some damage, while dust and fragments of plaster covered every object, and the only witness of the explosion, the cat, which had somehow been sheltered and escaped unhurt, was standing on the top of the cupboard, with its eyes glowering and its tail standing straight up, feathered out like a plume.
“Oh, my dear, my dear, what a scene!” cried Aunt Hannah, piteously. “Vane must never perform any more experiments here.”
She had just come to the back kitchen-door, and was looking in.
“Oh, Aunt! Aunt!” cried Vane.