"I hate to mention it," said Tom in a whisper, "but I'm not perfectly sure that I know what a stencil is."
There was a shout from around the table.
"Never mind, Thomas," soothed Roger, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Confession is good for the soul. A stencil, my son, is a thin sheet of something—pasteboard, the girls use—with a pattern cut out of it. You lay the stencil down on a piece of cloth or canvas or board or whatever you want to decorate, and you scrub color on all the part of the material that shows through."
"Methinks I see a great light," replied Tom, slapping his forehead. "When you lift the stencil there is your pattern done in color."
Roger and James leaned forward together and patted Tom's brow.
"Such it is to have real intellect!" they murmured in admiring accents.
Tom bowed meekly.
"Enlighten me further—also these smarties. What kind of paint do you use?"
"Tapestry dyes or oil paints. It depends somewhat on your material. If you want to launder it, use the dye."
"Fast color, eh?"