ck," replied Forester,--"black as jet; at least, one kind is black
as jet. There is a kind which is brown. It is called brown ebony."

"I don't think black is very pretty," said Marco.

"No," said Forester; "there does not seem to be much beauty in black, in
itself considered; but then, for certain purposes, it is much handsomer
than any other color would be; for a cane, for instance."

Marco looked at the beech cane which he had before him, and began to
consider how it would look if it were black.

"I suppose I could paint my cane black," said he, after a moment's
pause, "if you think it would be any better."

"No," said Forester; "I should prefer having it of its natural color.
The bark of the beech has beautiful colors, if they are only brought out
by a coat of varnish."

"Brought out?" repeated Marco.

"Yes," said Forester. "There is a kind of fine dust, or something like
that, which dims the bark; but, when you put on oil or varnish, there is
a sort of transparency given to the outside coating, which brings the
natural color of the bark fully to view."

"Then I will get my cane varnished, when I get to Bath," said Marco.

"Ebony," said Forester, "is used a great deal where a contrast with
ivory is wanted. Ebony is hard and fine-grained, like ivory, and it
takes a high polish. So, whenever they want a contrast of black and
white, they take ebony and ivory."

"When do they want a contrast between black and white?"

"One case," replied Forester, "is that of the keys of a piano forte.
They want the short keys, which mark the semi-tones, of a different
color from the others, so that the eye will catch them as quick as
possible. So in a chess-board. They sometimes make chess-boards with
alternate squares of ebony and ivory."

"I think it would be just as well to take common wood and paint it
black," said Marco, "rather than pay so much money for ebony."

"No," said Forester, "that would not do so well. The paint would wear
off; or, if it did not wear off by handling, still, if it got a little
knock or hard rub, a part would come off, and that would show a little
spot which would be of the natural color of the wood. This would look
very badly."

"Then, besides, painted wood," continued Forester, "cannot be finished
off so smoothly, and polished up so highly, as a wood which is black by
nature. They have a way of _staining_ wood, however, which is better
than painting it."

"How is that done?" asked Marco