HERMANN:

Isn't that a beautiful sound?

MARTIN:

Yes, it is. It's not a common sound.

HERMANN:

Sadly, it isn't. People don't have clocks anymore.

MARTIN:

Surely they have clocks. I agree, they don't have clocks like yours.

HERMANN:

I don't call those modern things clocks.

MARTIN:

Well, let's talk about your clocks. How did you get started as a clockmaker?

HERMANN:

I came from Switzerland when I was a young boy. Of course, I wasn't a clockmaker then.

MARTIN:

Did any of your family make clocks?

HERMANN:

No. They were merchants. My father came here to open a store. But I knew about clocks and watches. I was very interested in them.

MARTIN:

Why?.

HERMANN:

I don't know exactly. I admired the skill, I think. I loved the beauty of the large clocks. I liked the sound.

MARTIN:

So how did you get started, Mr. Hermann?

HERMANN:

It was just a hobby at first. I worked in my father's store. In my free time I made a clock. Then I made another. And another. Finally, I stopped working in the store and only made clocks.

MARTIN:

You're very skillful. This one is very beautiful.

HERMANN:

Yes, listen to it chime.

MARTIN:

I like it.

HERMANN:

I'm very proud of that clock.

MARTIN:

Can you make watches?

HERMANN:

I'm not very interested. They're too small.

MARTIN:

You have many large clocks. Tell me about these.

HERMANN:

These are called grandfather clocks. Grandfather clocks were very popular in the past. They're very large for most homes today.

MARTIN:

And very expensive.

HERMANN:

This is the largest one I have made. It's seven feet tall. I made it for the bank.

MARTIN:

There are so many skills involved. Tell me how you begin. Do you make the inside first, or the outside first?

HERMANN:

Sometimes one, sometimes the other. Usually, I start with the inside. The clock itself. The working part.

MARTIN:

That must take a lot of work and skill.

HERMANN:

It does. I don't make the parts, of course. I buy the parts from Switzerland.

MARTIN:

But you put them all together to make the clock.

HERMANN:

Right. Then when the clock is working, I make the outside, the case.

MARTIN:

I admire your skill. Can you earn a living making clocks?

HERMANN:

I make clocks, and I repair clocks. I can make a living. I'm not rich, of course.

MARTIN:

But you're doing what you want to do.

HERMANN:

Yes. I want you to see this clock.

HERMANN:

I didn't make this one.

MARTIN:

It's very interesting. Where did it come from?

HERMANN:

It's from an old school in the city. I think it was made in America, but it doesn't say on the clock.

MARTIN:

Is that unusual?

HERMANN:

Very. It's very skillfully made.