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 small pieces into some fractures of the upper table of a Stradivari. Having been told to do them neatly, cleanly and with every precaution, experience and deft handling of tools, he has got these latter into nice cutting order. The finest and even semi-transparent shavings will have to come from the fractures and the portions of wood to be inserted therein. James has by this time acquired considerable neatness in the treatment of "delicate jobs," as he calls such as the present. His tools have had special attention in the keenness of their edge and he thinks that when all is finished the violin will be as good as new, and very little of the damage done while in charge of the owner will be perceptible unless hunted for. He argues within himself that the greatest amount of expenditure of muscle work and fitting together of ever so many parts has been done by himself, and therefore the honour ought to be principally his, in fact the fiddle is more of his make than that of old Strad. His ruminations are stopped rather suddenly by the voice of the chief, who calls out, "I say, James, what about the re-barring of the Maggini that Miss Winks left a week back?"
"Well, sir, she called again yesterday, and said she didn't think it would be done, because we seemed slow people, but intended to call again in three days."
"Perhaps you had better set to work, James. Have you got everything ready for placing the bar?"
"Yes, sir, everything except the bar itself, which is not cut to shape yet."
"Well, let me see it. Is it of nice straight grain and from the stock of that old Italian?"