164 AN EXPERIMENT.

Rollo’s mother looked up from her work,
and seemed interested in what they were
saying.

Rollo replied to Lucy that a pin was not
brass, for brass was yellow, and a pin looked
white ; and so they appealed to Mrs. Hol-
iday.

“Is a pin brass?’’ said Rollo.

“Tsn’t it??? said Lucy.

“TT don’t know,” said Mrs. Holiday, look-
ing attentively at the pin; ‘I have always
understood that pins were made of brass,
and yet it is not the color of brass; that is
very plain. I will ask your father when he
comes.”

“Let us try it with a needle, Rollo,”
said Lucy; “a needle is of steel, I know.”

“ Well, if mother will give us one.”

“Yes, I will,” said she ; “but first tell
me what you want to do.”

Then Rollo and Lucy told her what
Jonas had said about tempering screws, and
about the colors which bright steel would
take when heated. While they were talk-
ing, she was selecting a needle from her
needle-book, and at length she handed it to
Rollo.