saying, Cicerone led the way to a light and cheerful room of
delicious temperature, even on that summer's day, where, upon a low,
broad, iron table, heated from beneath by steam-pipes, lay a mass of
what might indeed be sand, and yet differed as much from ordinary sand
as a just washed pet-lamb differs from an old weather-beaten sheep.

Like the lamb, the sand had been washed with care and much water, and
now lay reposing after its bath at lazy length, enjoying its _kief_,
like a sworn Mussulman. This sand is principally brought from the banks
of Hudson River and the coast of New Jersey; but a finer article of
quartz sand is found in Lanesboro', Massachusetts.

In the centre of the room stood a great sifting-machine, worked by
steam; and the sand, after being thoroughly dried, was passed through
this, coming out a fine, glittering mass, very much resembling
granulated sugar, so far as looks are concerned.

"Now it is ready to be sent up to the mixing-room; but if you will step
on this drop, we will go up before it," said the civil workman here in
charge.

So some of the party stepped upon a solid platform about six feet
square, lying under a trap in the floor overhead, and were slowly wound
up to the mixing-room, feeling quite sure, when they stepped upon the
solid floor once more, that they had done a very heroic thing, and were
not hereafter to be dismayed by travellers' tales of descents into
coal-mines, or swinging to the tops of dizzy spires in creaking baskets.

Here, in the mixing-room, stood great boxes, filled with sand, with
red-lead, or with sparkling soda and potash; and beside a trough stood,
shovel in hand, a good-natured-looking man, who was busily mixing
portions of these three ingredients into one mass.

Him Miselle assailed with questions, and learned that the trough
contained

1400 pounds sand,
350 " ash,
100 " soda,
800 " red-lead,
and about 100 " cullet.[25]

This was to be a fine quality of flint-glass, and to it might be added
coloring-matter of any desired tint; but in the choice and proportion of
this lay one of the principal secrets of the art.

All this information did the civil compounder vouchsafe to Miselle, with
the indulgent air of one who humors a child by answering his questions,
although quite sure that the subject is far above his comprehension; and
he smiled in much amusement at seeing his answers jotted down upon