God though he was, he always remained lame, and he was naturally somewhat deformed. But neither lameness nor deformity prevented his having amazing strength; and he was as clever as he was strong. The people of Lemnos treated him kindly, and he in return taught them to work in metals. They built him a palace, and he set up forges and furnaces, and made all sorts of useful and curious things. He used to work at the forges himself, blowing the fires and wielding the hammer. Among the curious things he made were two mechanical statues, which seemed alive, walked about with him, and even helped him in his work. And at last there came into his head a plan for getting called back into heaven. So he shut himself up in his smithy with his two mechanical workmen, and let nobody know what he was doing there. Those mechanical workmen were among the most useful things he made, for he could trust them to help him in his most secret work without understanding it or being able to tell how it was done. * * * * * One day the gods up in heaven were excited by the arrival of a splendid golden throne--a present from the earth for Jupiter. How it came there nobody knew. But there it was, and all agreed that nothing so magnificent in its way had ever been seen before, even in the skies. Jupiter was about to try how it felt to sit upon, when Juno, jealous even of that, went quickly before him and seated herself. "Ah! that _is_ a comfortable throne!" she exclaimed. "There is nothing like gold to sit upon, after all." Jupiter was annoyed with Juno's behavior, as indeed he was with most things she did. As, however, he did not like to make another scene before all the gods and goddesses, he waited patiently for her to get up again. But she did not move. At last--"I think that is _my_ throne," he hinted, in a tone which seemed gentle, but which Juno understood exceedingly well. Still she did not move. "Thrones are not meant to go to sleep upon," he said in a yet more meaning way. And still she did not move. "Get up!" he thundered at last, his patience gone. "I can't!" was all she could say, as she made a vain effort to rise. "The throne is holding me with its arms!" And so it proved. Juno was held so tightly by the throne that she could scarcely struggle. It was very strange. And presently it became stranger still. Neither the authority of Jupiter, nor all the strength and skill of all Olympus together, could loosen the clutch of the magic throne. "Ah!" said Mercury--who, you may remember, was Jupiter's chief messenger, and the quickest and cleverest of all the gods--"if only Vulcan were here! He understands these things." "And why is he not here?" asked Jupiter, sternly.