CHAPTER XI 



THE WORKSHOP 



From childliood I have always felt at home in a work- 

 shop, and wherever I have lived there has always been 

 some such delightful place. When my father gave 

 up his London house, and for the sake of his young 

 family made a home in the country, his always busy 

 mind and well-developed mechanical genius found 

 occupation in many branches of constructional in- 

 genuity. His ability did not so much consist in 

 working at a bench himself, as in planning and 

 directing the handiwork of others. One of the 

 ground-floor rooms he turned into a workshop, and 

 for fourteen years a clever young engineer was a 

 member of the household, and worked imder his 

 direction. During these years a number of working 

 models were made, illustrating the principal types 

 of steam motive power of the day. But the ones 

 that gave us children the greatest pleasure were the 

 marine engines of the little steam-ships that were 

 also built in the workshop. We had two ponds, 

 one of about four acres, and great was our delight 

 to see the little steamers careering about in large 



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