'I too am punctual, and am therefore sorry to have failed now, but it is not my fault: I had to attend my father.

For his sake pardon me.' 'It were but a small matter, my lord, even had it been uncompelled, to keep an idle girl waiting.' 'I think not so,' returned lord Herbert.

'But come now, I will explain to you my wonderful fire-engine.' As he spoke, he took her by the hand, and led her towards it.

The creature blazed, groaned, and puffed, but there was no motion to be seen about it save that of the flames through the cracks in the door of the furnace, neither was there any clanking noise of metal.

A great rushing sound somewhere in the distance, that seemed to belong to it, yet appeared too far off to have any connection with it.
'It is a noisy thing,' he said, as they stood before it, 'but when I make another, it shall do its work that thou wouldst not hear it outside the door.