lass
presented to them, leaving it rough and opaque. The article was next
presented to a smooth grindstone, that removed the roughness, and left
the appearance of fine ground glass.

The next process, called polishing, was effected upon a wooden wheel,
fed with pumice or rotten-stone and water, and the final touch was given
by another wooden wheel, and a preparation of tin and lead called
putty-powder.

The opacity was now entirely removed, and the facets cut upon the
wine-glass Miselle had principally watched in its progress shone with
the clear and polished brilliancy characteristic of the finest quality
of cut glass.

For very nice work, such as the polishing of chandelier-drops, and
articles of that sort, a leaden wheel, fed with fine rotten-stone and
water, is employed; but on the occasion referred to, no work of this
nature being in hand, these wheels were not used.

Other wheels, consisting of a simple disk of iron, not unlike a circular
saw without any teeth, were used for cutting those narrow vertical
lines, technically known as fingering, familiar to those so happy as to
have had careful grandmothers, and to have inherited their decanters and
wine-glasses. The revival of this style, like that of the rich old
pattern in plate known as the "Mayflower," is a compliment just now paid
by the present generation to the taste of the past, and Miselle was
shown some beautiful specimens of the "latest mode, Ma'am," that awoke
melancholy reminiscences of the shattered idols of her youth.

"Here are our friends, the ruby lampshades, again," remarked Optima.

"And now you will see how the transparent figures are made upon them,"
suggested Cicerone, pointing to a workman, who, with a pile of the
ruby-coated globes beside him, was painting circles upon one of them
with some yellowish pigment. The globe then being held to one of the
rough wheels, the thin shell of red glass within these circles was
ground away, leaving it white, but opaque. The globe then passed through
the processes of smooth grinding and polishing, above described, until
the pattern was finally developed in clear transparent medallions.

A very beautiful article in colored glass was a Hock decanter of an
exquisite antique pattern in green glass, wreathed with a grape-vine,
whose leaves and stems were transparent, while the clusters of grapes
were left opaque by the omission of the polishing process.

At the end of the noisy cutting-room was a small