uired Jean, as they went across
the yard. "I hate to ask stupid questions, but you see I do not know
anything about it."

"That isn't a stupid question. Quite the contrary. Yes, sheet glass is
blown. You shall see it done, too."

"But I do not understand how they can get it flattened out, if they
blow it."

"You will."

The boy led the way through a low arched door.

Before the furnaces within the great room a number of glass-blowers
were at work. They stood upon wooden stagings, each one of which was
built over a well or pit in the floor, and was just opposite an opening
in the furnace.

"Each of these men has a work-hole of the furnace to himself, so that
he may heat his material any time he needs to do so. The staging gives
him room to swing his heavy mass of glass as he blows it, and the pit
in the floor, which is about ten feet deep, furnishes space for the big
cylinder to run out, or grow longer, as he blows. The gathering for
sheet glass is done much as was that for the smaller pieces. The
gatherer collects a lump on his pipe, cools it a little, and collects
more until he has enough. He then rests it on one of those wooden
blocks such as you see over there; the block is hollowed out so to let
the blower expand the glass to the diameter he wants it."

"But I should think the block would burn when the hot glass is forced
inside it."

"It would if it were not first sprinkled with water. Sometimes hollow
metal blocks are used instead. In that case water passes through to
keep them cool, and they are dusted over with charcoal to keep them
from sticking, and from scratching the glass. After a sufficiently
large mass of glass has been gathered and reheated to a workable
condition the blower begins his task. First he swings the great red-hot
lump about so that it will get longer. His aim is to make a long
cylinder and into it he must blow constantly in order to keep it full
of air. Watch that man now at work. See how deft he is, and how strong.
The even thickness of the glass, and the uniformity of its size, depend
entirely upon his skill. If he finds the cylinder running out too fast,
or in other words getting too long, he shifts it up over his head,
always taking care, however, to keep it upright."

Jean watched.

How rapidly the man worked with the great mass on his blow-pipe! Now he
blew it far down into the pit beneath, where it hung like a mighty,
elongated soap-bubble; now he swung it to and fro; now