Evidently
Bernard, if Bernard it was, improved a great deal with practice."
It was obvious that Mr. Croyden had no more to say about the elusive
Bernard, for he came to an abrupt stop.
Theo waited a second, and then remarked suggestively:
"And Palissy?"
"Palissy? Oh, he was another matter altogether. What did you learn
about him when you were at school?"
"Not much, I'm afraid," responded Theo with a shrug. "At least I do
not remember much of it now. The teacher told us that one day Palissy
saw an enameled cup of Saracen workmanship and that he was so anxious
to discover how the glaze on it was made that he worked years
experimenting; he even chopped up all his furniture as fuel for his
furnaces."
"This is quite correct," smiled Mr. Croyden. "I see you recall a good
deal. What you have told me are the main facts of the story. Palissy
did work fifteen years. He used every splinter of wood he could lay
hands on as fuel, and indeed burned up every particle of his household
furniture, until he had not a chair to sit upon. He spent every cent
he had, too, until he was so poor that he could scarcely feed his
family, and owed money to all his neighbors.
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