CHAPTER LI 
THE GRAND-GIRLS 
Tue 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- a 
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 
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