The Three Cities Trilogy

The Three Sons Alone Were There. Near His Forge Stood Thomas Working A Boring Machine, With Which He Was Making Some Holes In A Small Brass Plate. Then Francois And Antoine Were Seated On Either Side Of Their Large Table, The Former Reading, And The Latter Finishing A Block. The Bright Sunshine Streamed In, Playing Over All The Seeming Disorder Of The Room, Where So Many Callings And So Many Implements Found Place. A Large Bunch Of Wallflowers Bloomed On The Women's Work-table Near The Window; And Absorbed As The Young Men Were In Their Respective Tasks The Only Sound Was The Slight Hissing Of The Boring Machine Each Time That The Eldest Of Them Drilled Another Hole.