wheel and rivet of her!"

"But I thought the works of all clocks were alike," asserted
Christopher.

"Bless your heart, no. Nowadays most of them are; and there are
advantages in it too, for when a part gives out, you can easily get
another to replace it. But years ago in the days of the clockmakers'
guilds, clocks were made by hand and were frequently entirely the work
of one man--except perhaps the case, which was sometimes made by a
joiner."

"Oh!"

"This old bracket clock, for instance, that I was speaking of--a fellow
named Richard Parsons, who belonged to the London Clockmakers' Company
between 1690 and 1730, made her from start to finish. You will see his
name painted on the dial, and engraved on the works is his address. The
jealous old clockmakers kept their eye on those who were manufacturing
clocks, I can tell you. They weren't going to have a lot of cheap,
poorly made articles shunted off on the public to ruin their trade. No,
indeed. A man must serve a long apprenticeship before he could be
admitted to the Clockmakers' Company and once enrolled must put his
address in all his clocks so everybody would know he had a right to make
and sell them."

"It wasn't a bad idea."

"Not at all bad. Nevertheless, the clockmakers were a stern, tyrannical
lot. Nobody within twenty miles of London was allowed to make a clock
unless enrolled in their organization. Moreover, they got from the king
a right of search which enabled them to go in and seize any goods which
they suspected fell below the standard. Not only did they want to be
sure no poor clocks were made but they also wished to keep the monopoly
of all the timepieces turned out.

"For example, when war in France drove many of the French artisans to
England, up rose the London clockmakers to protest against any of the
French makers practicing their craft within their domains. Fortunately
the petition was denied and at length these skilled workmen were
enrolled in the company and together with their descendants gave to
England some of her most beautiful clocks. But the old guild members did
not suffer it without a wrench, I can tell you."

McPhearson took up a small screwdriver and proceeded to fasten the back
on to the clock he held in his hand.

"It wasn't all smooth sailing, being a clockmaker in those days," he
declared. "What wonder the horologers were jealous of their art? Just
remember there were no factories to produce for you the screws, rivets