g the impression so that all the letters are printed
evenly."

"They didn't for a long time," sighed Bobby. "I had lots of trouble."

"How did you make it go?" asked Mr. Daggett, interested.

Bobby explained the pasting of the slips of paper.

"Who taught you that?" asked Mr. Daggett sharply.

"Nobody; I just thought of it."

Two hours later, when the noon whistles blew, Bobby said good-bye to his
friend after a most interesting morning. Mr. Daggett had showed him
everything. He explained how in the type-cases the capital letters
occupied little compartments all alike and at the top, but how the small
letters were arranged arbitrarily in various-sized compartments.

"You see," said he, "we use the _e_ oftenest, so that is the largest and
is right in the middle. And here is the _a_ near it, but a little
smaller. A man has to learn where they are."

Then they watched the compositor setting type in the metal "stick" with
the sliding end. The compositor showed Bobby how he could tell when the
letters were right side up by feeling the nicks in the type, without the
necessity of looking; how he used the leads to space between the lines.
His hands flew from one compartment of the type case to the other and
the type clicked sharply. In a moment the stick was full. All three
walked over to the "composing table" of stone. Here Bobby watched the
type placed in the huge iron frame, which was then filled in with the
wooden blocks. The wedge-shaped irons locked it. Finally the block and
mallet went over the whole surface to even it down.

Bobby saw proof taken. He watched the small press in operation. It was
worked by a foot lever. The round ink plate which automatically made a
quarter turn at each impression and the double automatic ink-rollers
were a revelation to him. All the boy had to do was to insert and
withdraw the paper and push down with his foot. And the pressure was so
exact and so delicate and so brief--as though the type and the platen
coquetted without actually touching; and the imprint was so true and
clear! Even on the thin paper, the shape of the type did not stamp
through!

He could have watched for an hour, but shortly the job was finished, so
he moved on to look at the coloured inks and the fascinating variety of
papers and cards and envelopes.

This latter occupation kept him busy for a long time. He had not
realized that so many shapes and kinds of letters could exist. Mr.
Daggett told him their na