Mechanism of the Valet.
The machinery was directly in the center of the body-chest, controlling the movement of the legs and arms, the latter being round, four jointed and twenty-seven inches long. Instead of a face, the head bore a dial, on which the hour was depicted. The whole valet was wound up by a small crank in the back. If a man wished to be aroused, at, let it be said, 8 o’clock in the morning, he adjusted the alarm button on a small dial on the face of the large clock at that hour.
Promptly at 8 o’clock the alarm in the head of the valet exploded, waking the sleeper. The first movement on the part of the valet after the alarm had sounded was to move quickly but noiselessly in the direction of the bath-room, where, by automatic stoppers, the water is set running, stopping instantly on the tub being filled.