 
1. There was not much talking at dinner, till after the second helping of roley-poley. 2. Then Dora and Harry felt happy again, and began to tell their aunt all about the needle-making. She had seen it once, but it was a long time ago, and she thought she should like to see it again. 3. 'But if I had gone this morning,' she said, 'you would not have had your pudding.' 'That would have been sad,' said Dora. 4. 'What a lot of steel we have seen,' said Harry. 'I never knew there was so much in the world.' 5. 'You can see some on this table now.' 'Where?' 'What have I cut the pudding with?' 'Oh, the knife! Yes, I see; that must be steel; at least, that part of it. What do you call that part?' 'The blade.' 6. 'And what about the handle?' 'I don't know. It is yellow, and smooth, and hard.' 'It is bone,' said his uncle, 'part of an ox-bone. But some handles are made of wood.' 7. 'May I look at that knife near you, auntie? I mean the clean one. Thank you!' 8. Then Dora wanted one to look at too; and they felt the edges softly and found them very sharp. They looked at the blunt backs of the blades, and then tried to read the maker's name. 9. 'There is no room to put the maker's name on a needle,' said Harry. 'But how do they get it on here?' 'It is stamped on when the blade is red-hot and rather soft.' 10. They could not make out how the handle was put on, so their aunt went to the knife-box and got out an old knife that had lost its handle. They saw that the blade had a long thin piece of iron at the end of it. 11. 'A long hole is made inside the handle, and this iron thing is put into it, and made fast.' So their uncle said, and then looked at the clock and saw that it was time for him to go. Setting out for the Farm. Setting out for the Farm. |
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