and we might almost
say they cured themselves." As the Guadagnini had nothing further to
be done to it, James is told to proceed with the glueing and closing
up.

CHAPTER XIII.

RE-OPENING THE BACK TO CORRECT THE BADLY REPAIRED JOINT--A FEW WORDS
ON STUDS--FILLING UP SPACES LEFT BY LOST SPLINTERS--MATCHING WOOD FOR
LARGE CRACKS, ETC.

Regarding the glueing and closing up process, we will defer the matter
for the present. While the assistant is going through the necessary
routine in connection with that most important part of the repairing
of a violin, the master has been looking over a few of the things that
are to be operated upon some time or other. Going to a sort of store
cupboard, he fetches from thence a violin in fair condition generally,
but with one sad defect, the back has at one time been open, that is,
the joint down the middle, either through damp affecting the glue or
from violence, had parted and had been badly repaired; the two surfaces
being brought together and glued, but not evenly, one side being a
trifle higher than the other. "James," he calls out, "this old Pesaro
fiddle is worth putting right; when you have finished what you are about,
put the wet rags on this as far along the joint as may be necessary,
set them better and closer, it is the fine varnish all over that will
make it worth while."

James having finished the closing up of the Guadagnini and taken the
instrument with its array of screw cramps into a place where it could
repose uninterfered with until quite dry, returns and looks over the
violin just brought forth from its retirement. "It seems to me, sir,
this back will have to come off before we can properly bring those two
halves together." The other scans the work again, turns it over, tries
its strength between his fingers and thumbs, and concludes with "Well,
I think you are right, it is quite worth the extra labour and had better
be done so." The matter being settled, James takes a seat, and, with
the violin resting on his lap and held by his left hand, the broad bladed
knife in his right is inserted with a carefully calculated thrust
underneath the border and edging. There is not much difficulty;
sometimes the violin is turned in a contrary direction when there is
a disposition for the grain to tear up here and there.

At last the back is free, the corners and blocks have caused a little
trouble in the progress of the knife around, the wood being hard and
tough on