*I*
Mr. Noakes made no further attempt to interfere with the irrigation ofFarmer Trenchard's fields. The two lads repaired the dam, gave theparched ground a thorough soaking for two days and nights, thendemolished the simple structure and allowed the stream to pursue itsusual course.
Templeton, meanwhile, had been anxiously weighing the claims of theother ideas that jostled in his brain. He wanted to perfect hisautomatic hair-cutter; to experiment with what he called, in advance, a"levitator"--a contrivance for enabling an aeroplane to rise morerapidly; to test his notion of a tar entanglement, and various othersound schemes. Unfortunately the incomplete hair-cutter had beenconfiscated by his head master, and it would take weeks to construct anew one. The levitator was out of the question at present, for it wouldcost a good deal more than the two pounds odd which remained out of hisaunt's gift. Several ideas were unworkable for the same reason, and hehad almost resolved on the tar entanglement when, with that suddennessto which inventors are accustomed, a quite new idea shot into his mind.
He had been reading, in a war correspondent's dispatch, about the starshells and Verey lights which were used at night to throw a fitfulillumination upon the hostile lines. Eves noticed that as he cleanedhis teeth before going to bed he made frequent pauses, holding thetooth-brush motionless for some moments at a time.
"What's up, old man?" asked Eves, who was already in bed. "Gottoothache?"
"No; I was thinking," replied Templeton, rubbing again. "You see----"
"But I can't hear through the bristles. Hurry up, or I shall be asleep."
Templeton finished his toilet, blew out the light, and got into bed,sitting up and clasping his knees.
"Those flash-lights, you know--they don't last long enough. What ourfellows want is some continuous illumination."
"What about the moon?"
"You know perfectly well the moon doesn't shine for half the month."
"I thought perhaps you'd invented an artificial moon. But expound, oldbird."
"Well, you know the prevailing wind in winter is from the west. Whyshouldn't our men start relays of light balloons----"
"Balloons always are light."
"I mean light-giving balloons. They'd float over the German lines andilluminate their whole positions with a steady continuous light."
"The Huns would shoot 'em down."
"Not easily, for they'd be dark."
"Light and dark at the same time! Go on, Bobby; I'm sure you can proveblack's white."
"If you wouldn't interrupt, you'd see. The illuminant would be attachedto the balloon by a long cord, and there'd be a shade like a lampshadeover it, so that the balloon itself would be in darkness. It's easyenough to try."
"How?"
"All you want is a dozen toy balloons, a few cubic feet of hydrogen, aslow match, and a little magnesium wire. There you have it on a smallscale. Fill the balloons with hydrogen, tie 'em together, fasten a slowmatch and a bit of wire to each, light the match, and send the wholecaboodle up."
"But magnesium wire only burns for a second or two."
"You really are an ass, Tom. We'd only use magnesium wire for ourexperiment; there are heaps of things that could be used with bigballoons at the front."
"You mean to try it, then?"
"Of course. Old Noakes has some toy balloons."
"But what about the hydrogen? It doesn't smell, does it?"
"No. Why?"
"Only that I forget all my chemistry except the stinks. How do you makeit?"
"By the action of an acid on a metal. Don't you remember Zn + H2SO4 =ZnSO4 + H2? Iron will do as well."
"That's easy enough, then. But you'll want retorts, wash bottles,pneumatic troughs, and goodness knows what else. Bang goes the rest ofyour cash, Bob."
"Nonsense! Mother Trenchard has some old pickle bottles, and we're notout to make a specially pure gas. All we'll have to buy will be alittle acid, a few feet of glass tubing, and a rubber cork or two. Fouror five shillings will buy the lot. We shall have to go to Weymouth forthem."
"Righto! That's a day off to-morrow."
The morning post brought a letter from Aunt Caroline enclosing a list offoods which she wished Mr. Noakes to stock. Templeton read it solemnly,and handed it to Eves.
"I say, Mrs. Trenchard, what do you think of this?" cried Eves. "ThingsBob's aunt is going to lecture about, you know. Haricot beans----"
"They want a deal of cooking, Mr. Eves," said Mrs. Trenchard. "You mustsoak 'em overnight, and boil 'em hours and hours. I have my doubtswhether the village folk can spare the time."
"Well, here's dried peas."
"Do 'ee think the women 'll use 'em dried when the shucks are full ofgreen? What can Miss Caroline be thinking of?"
"Tinned eggs, then."
"Lawk-a-mussy, I was silly enough to buy one o' they tins once, and whenI opened it--there now, never in my life did I come so near faintingafore, and me not a fainting sort, the smell was so terrible. If thatbe the kind of thing Miss Caroline's cook do give her, 'tis time I wasback in my old place, that it be."
Eves laughed as he handed the list back to Templeton.
"There are a dozen more things," he said; "if they're all as good, oldman, Aunt Caroline will get a shock when she's heckled."
"Bless 'ee, sir, and who'll be so bold?" said Mrs. Trenchard. "Folks'll listen, ay sure, as meek as lambs; but buy them things--never in theworld."
"Well, Bob, you must take the list to Noakes. You must do something foryour tenner. Tell you what: I'll go to Weymouth for the chemicals andthings. By the time I'm back you'll have seen Noakes and got thebottles and other things ready. Noakes wouldn't serve me, I'm sure."
So it was arranged. Eves hurried through his breakfast and just caughtthe carrier's cart that conveyed passengers to the junction. Templetonfinished leisurely, and then, not much liking his job, walked down tothe village to interview Noakes. As he came to the shop door he heardNoakes addressing a customer.
"No, I tell 'ee, you can't have no sugar without you buy tea and bacon."
"But 'twas only the day afore yesterday I bought my quarter of tea,sir," said a woman's voice, plaintively; "and I must have sugar to stewmy plums for the children's dinner."
"Bain't no good you standing there whining about yer children. No sugarwithout t'other things; that's my last word to 'ee."
"Excuse me," said Templeton, entering the shop. "Is there a new orderfrom the Food Controller? If I'm not mistaken, there have been severalprosecutions lately of----"
"Now look 'ee here," cried Noakes, angrily, "I bain't a-going to standno more nonsense from you. Who be you, I'd like to know, coming andordering me about in my own shop?"
"Far from it, Mr. Noakes. I only wished to give you a hint that yourcustomer is entitled to buy sugar without any conditions, and it's sillyto put yourself in the wrong."
Noakes glowered and blustered, but previous experience of Templeton'sdetermination had taught him a lesson, and ultimately he served thewoman with a half-pound of sugar.
"I want half a dozen of those toy balloons," said Templeton.
"They bain't for sale," growled Noakes.
"Indeed! You hang them up as ornaments, I suppose. Perhaps you'll sellme some if I buy some sugar, say."
"Get out of my shop," cried Noakes, furiously. "I tell 'ee I won'tserve 'ee, and I won't have you imperent young fellers in my shop atall, so now you know it."
Templeton shrugged his shoulders. Taking his aunt's letter from hispocket, he opened it, and said:
"There must be a mistake. My aunt says that the principal tradesman isa very civil and obliging person. You know her--Miss CarolineTempleton. She is coming down in a few days to lecture on food economy,and wants you to lay in a stock of various things of which I have alist. But perhaps she is referring to somebody else, and it's no goodbothering you."
At the mention of Miss Templeton's name an uneasy look settled
uponNoakes's face. He watched Templeton replace the letter in his pocket,then said hesitatingly, in a milder tone:
"When be the lady coming, sir?"
"In ten days or so, and as the letter was written some days ago, it maybe under a week from now."
The look of uneasiness gave way to a smile. Noakes turned his back, andTempleton, resolving to have nothing more to do with the man, left theshop.