"Are they making them anywhere, nowadays?" asked Ethel Blue.
"When the war is over and you go to Paris, you can see the tapestry workers in the Gobelins factory," said Miss Daisy. "Every machine has hung upon it the picture which the worker is copying. It may take a man six or seven years to complete one piece."
"Shouldn't you think he would be sick to death of it!" exclaimed Dorothy.
"I suppose the first year he tells himself he must be pleasant, so that he will see the picture get started. In the second year perhaps he'll be ready to put in the feet of his figures. Then all the middle years must be comparatively exciting because he's doing the central part of the picture; and the last year he has a sort of a thrill because it's almost done, even though the work may be all in the clouds."
"I judge that they make landscapes with figures, chiefly," guessed James.
"Many of them are landscapes with figures," replied Miss Daisy. "They have a wide variety of objects. The factory belongs to the government and the pieces are used as decorations for government buildings, and as gifts to people of other countries. The French Government gave Miss Alice Roosevelt a piece of Gobelin when she was married. I've seen it on exhibition in the Art Museum at Cincinnati."
"I suppose all the workmen now have gone to the war, and the factory is closed," said Tom.
"Probably. The men who work there now are descendants, sometimes in the third or fourth generation, of the early workers. They hold their positions for life and although their pay is not large they also have each a cottage and piece of land on the grounds of the factory."
As the U. S. C. ascended the great stair-way they passed numerous impressive busts and stopped to look at all of them. Most of the men were famous Americans, whose names were already familiar to the young people.
"Now," said Miss Graham, as they reached the head of the stairs, "later on we can choose the kind of thing we would like especially to see, but first I want to show you two or three pictures and we can talk a little about them. Then perhaps we will enjoy better the pictures we see afterwards."
"I am sure we shall," answered Roger, politely, although his heart was yearning for the Riggs collection of armor.