After Mrs Willoughby had engaged her new man-about the-house to do the heavy work and look after the furnace—for she had her house warmed with hot-water pipes—she found it was necessary to instruct him care fully in his duties. One of his lessons consisted in the use of the thermometer to indicate the temperature of the house. Michael knew nothing what ever about thermometers, and the instruc tion naturally took the form of a complete course, beginning with a description of the way in which the instrument did its work. “ You see this fine line of mercury in the glass tube, Michael ?” “ Oi do, mum,” “ Well, when it’s warm the mercury goes up, and when it’s cold the mercury goes down. Do you understand that, Michael ?” “ Oi do, mum.” “ Very well. Now I want to keep the house as nearly as I can at 70 degrees, Michael ?” “ Sivinty degrays, is it, mum ?’’ ; “Yes, Michael. Look at this thermome ter and you will see that the mercury now just touches B 5 degrees. That shows that the house is not warm enough, and you must stoke up the furnace a little. Do you under stand ?” “ Oi do, mum.’’ “ And if the mercury goes up to 75 or 80, the house is then too warm, and you must let the fire in the furnace slacken down a little, or let some cold outside air into the house by opening the window in the hall just a little way, and being careful to close [ it the minute the termometer gets down to I 70. Now do you think I can trust you to look after the temperature carefully.” “ The timperaturo, mum ?” “ 'Sea, the heat and cold of the house, you know.” “ Indade you can, mum.” Mrs. Willoughby went about her social duties and late in the afternoon returned home. Her first look was at the thermometer. It indicated 69 degrees, and she congrats lated herself that Michael was doing his work well. Michael himself had misgivings however, not about the manner of his work, , but of the reliability of the thermometer as I an indicator of temperature. Mrs. 