here was a counter-balance.

At the present time still stronger bars are inserted, and very
frequently without rule or reason. Occasionally a coarse bar will allow
of good results as regards the emission of the tone, the length and
thickness happening to be suitable to the proportions in detail of the
instrument. A weakness at each end of the bar is an oft-recurring cause
of bad going with regard to the vibrations.

From this we may infer that when the bar was first thought of and
inserted it was simply with an idea of supporting the part over which
the third and fourth strings were stretched, and that as the tension
of the strings became greater in consequence of the rise in the pitch,
so the bar had to be increased in strength, that is, longer and deeper.
The discovery or unearthing of an old master in its original condition
will therefore be followed by the opening and re-barring for the
emission of the tone according to modern ideas; these may be summed
up as the getting of the largest amount of tone accompanied by freedom
of vibration or ring.

As the removal of a defective or weakly bar and its renewal and fixing
in accordance with the best knowledge of the subject is an operation
that should be seldom attempted by other than an experienced
professional repairer, it may be as well to pay another visit to our
chief and his assistant, James.

After some lapse of time we find on looking in at the establishment
that there is no perceptible change in the working or general routine;
violins innumerable have come and gone and still seem likely to do so
for ever.

The chief has been occupying a few minutes looking through a newspaper,
not so much in connection with his business, which, as no doubt will
have long since been perceived, is a private or personal one, he is
simply keeping up with the times in reading about what is going on
outside his own little world.

James, notwithstanding his lesser amount of artistic and scientific
knowledge than the chief, has been steadily improving in his own way,
that of implicitly following directions put forward for his guidance
and given with so many axioms, the result of long experience and
watchfulness. It is a warm day and really heavy work would not be to
the disposition of either master or man.

Looking through the doorway into the workshop at the back, James can
be seen sitting as quietly and contentedly as his master in the front.
He is engaged on some fitting of sm