"Fire and hail; snow and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word."—Psalm cxlviii.
143. Would the hearth-stone feel hotter than the hearth-rug though both were of the same temperature?
It would feel hotter than the hearth-rug, because it would part with its heat so rapidly that it would be the more perceptible.
144. But if the hearth-stone and the hearth-rug were both colder than the hand, which would feel the colder of the two?
Then the hearth-stone would feel the colder, because, being a good conductor, it would take heat from the hand more freely than the hearth-rug, which is a bad conductor.
145. Why would the hearth-stone feel comparatively hotter in the one case, and colder in the other?
Because, being a good conductor, it would conduct heat rapidly to the hand when hot, and take heat rapidly from the hand when cold.