ight
be the tired one."

"I!"

"Not bored?"

"Not so you'd notice it."

"All right, then; only you'll have to let me think a minute," said
Mr. Croyden. "Where did we leave off?"

"You had been telling me about Sevres ware and other French
porcelains."

"Oh, yes! Now I remember. Well, as you can imagine, after kaolin was
discovered the secret gradually leaked out, and everybody went to work
at making china. Kings, emperors, and princes; nobles of high birth,
all took up the art with zest, spending great sums of money on
fabriques, as the porcelain factories came to be called. In Florence
Francis, one of the Dukes of the Medici, built a tiny laboratory in
the garden of the Boboli palace and there made a rude ware, some of it
hard paste and some of it soft. This was even before the St. Cloud
works were opened, and certain historians say that this was the first
true porcelain made in Europe. At a much later period (about 1735, to
be exact) the Ginori family, another titled Italian household of
wealth and position, owning estates just outside Florence, took up
porcelain-making, even sending ships to China for the necessary
clay. Fancy it! And to show you how highly this industry was esteemed
I will add that the Marquise himself superintended his workmen and
helped in manufacturing this Doccia ware, as they styled their
output."

"Did this happen during the Renaissance?" inquired Theo timidly. "It
sounds as if it might have."

Mr. Croyden nodded, cordially, much gratified by the lad's
understanding.

"That was just when it happened," he said. "In the meantime, at about
the same period, a beautiful soft paste called Capo di Monte was being
made down in Naples under the patronage of Charles IV--the Charles who
afterward became Charles III of Spain. Like the rest of royalty this
King became absorbed in china-making--so absorbed that he went
frequently to work in his factories himself, and each year held a sale
of his products at the gates of his palace; whenever a piece was sold
a record of it was made and later the name of the purchaser was
reported to the King."

"I suppose he, too, made the nobles buy his china," laughed Theo.

"I am afraid he did," agreed Mr. Croyden. "At least it was a fact
that he showed especial favor to those who did buy it, which was
practically the same thing. I think I forgot to tell you that the
French kings also forced, or perhaps I should say expected, their
courtiers and ladies t