CHAPTER LI 



THE GRAND-GIRLS 



THE click of Jane's hammer began to be heard 

 in November, and hardly a day passed without 

 some music from this "Forge in the Forest." 

 Sir Tom made a permanent station of the work- 

 shop, where he spent hours in a comfortable 

 chair, drawing nourishment from the head of 

 his cane and pleasure from watching the girl 

 at the anvil. I suspect that he planted himself 

 in the corner of the forge to safeguard Jane ; for 

 he had an abiding fear that she would take fire, 

 and he wished to be near at hand to put her 

 out. He procured a small Babcock extinguisher 

 and a half-dozen hand-grenades, and with these 

 instruments he constituted himself a very effi- 

 cient volunteer fire department. He made her 

 promise, also, that she would have definite hours 

 for heavy work, that he might be on watch ; 

 and so fond was she of his company, or rather 

 of his presence, for he talked but little, that sh 

 kept close to the schedule. 



Laura had a favorite corner in the forge, where 

 she often turned a hem or a couplet. She was 



