ure! To make the watches handsomer than those carried by common
folks--dressier and more expensive."

"You actually entertained that notion?" came quizzically from the head
of the firm.

"Yes, Dad."

Mr. Burton gazed at his offspring dumbfounded and reproachful, his eyes
saying as plainly as any words could, "That I should live to hear a son
of mine give voice to such gross ignorance!" Then when he had conquered
his amazement sufficiently to speak he gasped:

"I'm afraid there are still facts that McPhearson will have to teach you
before you can follow his trade."

"No doubt there are a few," returned Christopher audaciously.

"This matter of jeweled watches is one. How did it happen you never
asked him why precious stones were set in the works of a watch?"

"I thought I knew why."

"He probably thought you did too; but apparently you don't. However,
there is hope for you since you are willing to be honest and confess
your ignorance. Indeed, I've no right to blame you. How should you know
such a thing unless somebody took the trouble to tell you?" the lad's
father amended. "Nevertheless, at first I could not but be surprised at
the originality of your theory."

"Then the jewels are not for decoration?"

"Well, hardly!" responded Burton, Senior, with an amused shake of his
head. "Way back about the year 1700 a Genevan watchmaker residing in
London struggled to find some hard material in which to set watch pivots
so they would not wear the works of the watch, and after much
experimenting with different substances he hit upon the plan of
drilling a hole in various kinds of gems and setting the pivots into
those. Gems, as perhaps you are already aware, are among the hardest
minerals we have. Therefore Facio, as the Swiss was called, proceeded to
make a watch after this idea and in 1703 obtained a patent on it good
for fourteen years. Then, two years later, when he found by experience
how excellent and practical was his scheme, he petitioned that this
grant be extended to cover a longer period.

"Now all workmen, alas, are jealous for their own prestige and the
artisans belonging to the London Clockmakers' Company were no exception
to this rule. All of them were ready enough to seize greedily upon the
bright ideas of any craftsman following their line of trade and they
resented it bitterly if not allowed to do so. Moreover, that it was
Nicolas Facio, a Swiss, and not one of their own number who had stumbled
upo