There he stood, in a linen frock that reached from his neck to his knees, already hard at work at a small anvil on a bench, while Caspar was still harder at work at a huge anvil on the ground in front of a forge.

This, with the mighty bellows attached to it, occupied one of the six sides of the room, and the great roaring, hissing thing that had so frightened lady Margaret, now silent and cold, occupied another.

Neither of the men saw her.

So she entered, closed the door, and approached lord Herbert, but he continued unaware of her presence until she spoke.

Then he ceased his hammering, turned, and greeted her with his usual smile of sincerity absolute.
'Are you always as true to your appointments, cousin ?' he said, and resumed his hammering.
'It was hardly an appointment, my lord, and yet here I am,' said Dorothy.
'And you mean to infer that---- ?' 'An appointment is no slight matter, my lord, or one that admits of breaking.' 'Right,' returned his lordship, still hammering at the thin plate of whitish metal growing thinner and thinner under his blows.