VII.
PLATING AND ANNEALING.
"Now," said the gaffer, "I believe you have seen
about everything."
"No," said Lawrence; "I have n't seen how you
make glass of two different colors,-- a lamp-shade, for instance, which
is all red, perhaps, except where there are figures of transparent glass."
"Let me see," said the gaffer, looking about him.
"We are not doing any plating to-day. But we will do some, to show you."
Lawrence begged he would not give himself any
trouble.
"That is what I shall say when I go to visit you
some time. 'Don't give yourself any trouble for me,' I shall say to your
aunt. But she will give herself trouble, and I trust it will be a pleasure
for her to do so. Now I must give myself trouble, to show you how
glass-plating is done; and it will be a pleasure."
He gave orders to some men, who stopped the work
they were at to assist him. A piece of hard ruby glass, previously prepared,
was melted on the end of a ponty; two soft lumps of it were taken off on the
ends of two blowing-pipes,-- "for I am going to show you two different ways
of plating," said the gaffer. "I am going to make two ruby cups. To save
the colored glass, which is costly, we put a thin plate of it on a body of
flint glass. This lump I shall put on the
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