Franz was Mr. Kleesman's servant. He tended the fires, and pounded up the stones fine in an iron mortar, and did all Mr. Kleesman's errands. Franz came running; and Mr. Kleesman gave him the stone, and said something to him in German. Franz took the stone, and disappeared in the back room. "After he haf make it fine," said Mr. Kleesman, "I shall assay it for you." Then, turning to Nelly and Rob, he said:-- "Can you stay? I make three assay now in three cups." "Yes, indeed, we can!" said Nelly: "thank you! That is what we came for. We thought the furnace must be mended by this time." While Franz was pounding the stone, the old man told Mr. Kleesman about his mine. Nelly listened with attentive ears to all he said: but Rob was busy studying the pretty little brass scales in the glass box. The man said that he and two other men had been at work for some months at this mine. The other two men were sure the ore was good; one of them had tried it with the blow-pipe, he said, and got plenty of silver. "But I just made up my mind," said the man, "that, before I put any more money in there, I'd come to somebody that knew. I ain't such a sodhead as to think I can tell so well about things as a man that's studied 'em all his life; and I asked all about, and they all said, 'Kleesman's the man: he'd give you an honest assay of his own mind if he could get at it and weigh it.'" Mr. Kleesman laughed heartily. He was much pleased at this compliment to his honesty. "Yes, I tell you all true," he said. "If it be bad, or if it be good, I tell true." "That's what I want," said the man. Then Franz came in with the fine-powdered stone in a paper. Mr. Kleesman took some of it and weighed it in the little brass scales. Then he took some fine-powdered lead and weighed that. Then he mixed the fine lead and the powdered stone together with a knife. "I take twelve times as much lead as there iss of the stone," he said. "What is the lead for?" asked Nelly. "The lead he will draw out of the stone all that are bad: you will see." Then he put the powdered stone and the lead he had mixed together into a little clay cup, and covered it over with more of the fine-powdered lead. Then he put in a little borax. "He helps it to melt," he said. Then he went through into the back room, carrying this cup and two others which were standing on the table already filled with powder ready to be baked. Rob and Nelly and the old man followed him. He opened the door of the little oven and looked in: it was glowing red hot. Then he took up each cup in tongs, and set it in the oven. When all three were in, he took some burning coals from the fire above, and put them in the mouth of the oven, in front of the cups. "Dat iss dat cold air from door do not touch dem," he said. Then he shut the door tight, and said:-- "Now ve go back. Ve vait fifteen minute."