e bright faces which greet us at every turn, as we pass to
and fro among the busy workers in this monster hive.

[Illustration--Black and White Plate: The Dinner Hour, Bournville.]

Entering now, and turning into the private station, we see thousands
of sacks of the freshly-imported beans being transferred to the
neighbouring stores. The new arrivals must first be sifted and picked
over to get rid of any that may be unsound, or of any foreign material
still remaining. This is accomplished by a sorting and winnowing
machine, which delivers by separate shoots the cleaned beans, graded
according to size, and the dust and foreign matter.

A battery of roasters await the survivors of this operation, which are
automatically conveyed to the hoppers. High-pressure steam supplies
the requisite heat without waste or smoke, and as the huge drums
slowly rotate, experienced workmen, on whose judgment great reliance
is placed, carefully watch their contents, and decide when precisely
the right degree of roasting has been attained to secure the richest
aroma. Then they are passed through a cooling chamber, after which
they are in condition for "breaking down."

This consists in cracking the shells of the beans, and releasing the
kernels or "nibs," from which the shells and dust are winnowed by a
powerful blast. It is accomplished by carrying the beans mechanically
to the cracking machine at a considerable height, whence husks and
nibs are allowed to fall before the winnower: the separated nibs are
assorted according to size. Some of the shells find their way to the
Emerald Isle, to be used by the peasants for the weak infusion called
"miserables."

Now comes the important process of grinding, performed between
horizontal mill-stones, the friction of which produces heat and melts
the "butter," while it grinds the "nibs" till the whole mass flows,
solidifying into a brittle cake when cold.

The thick fluid of the consistency of treacle flowing from the
grinding-mills is poured into round metal pots, the top and bottom of
which are lined with pads of felt, and these are, when filled, put
under a powerful hydraulic press, which extracts a large percentage of
the natural oil or butter. The pressure is at first light, but as soon
as the oil begins to flow the remaining mass in the press-pot is
stiffened into the nature of indiarubber, and upon this it is safe to
place any pressure that is desired. As it is not advisable to extract
al