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starving, and we have nothing else to give. Half the cake was for me, and that half she shall have. I have no right to meddle with your share.'

11. In spite of Ellen's tears, who began to cry at the thought of losing any of the rich plum-cake, Judith cut it in halves, and breaking one half into two pieces, put one into the hand of the woman, and the other into that of the child.

12. A grateful smile spread over the face of the poor woman, while the little hungry babe gave a scream of joy. After eating the cake, and drinking a draught of beer which the house-maid brought her, the woman was able once more to proceed on her journey.

13. Ellen's pleasure for the evening was at an end. She wanted to make feasts, and half the plum-cake was gone. She called Judith a fool and a busy-body, and wished the woman had been a hundred miles off.

14. But Judith, though she loved plum-cake dearly, and seldom had such things given to her, did not regret that she had parted with her share. Had it not been for Ellen's ill humor, she would have been more happy that evening, than if she had feasted on the best plum-cake that ever was made.

15. Which of these little girls was humane? It was not Ellen. No, no! She did not truly feel for the distress of the poor. She had no real charity in her heart. She was only vain of the power of giving away, and of the praise she got by begging for beggars. She did not want her mamma's halfpence and cold meat, and therefore she was at all times ready and willing to bestow them on others.

16. But Judith took from herself to give to the poor.

She spared that which she loved, which she wished for-which it would have given her great pleasure to eat and enjoy. Ellen was VAIN and SELFISH: Judith

was HUMANE.

ERRORS.

1. frens for friends; critter for creature. 13. hundurd for hundred.

What is the Rule?

QUESTIONS.

6. What do quotation marks signify?

7. What word has a hyphen? 8. What stop is after said?

13. What is the apostrophe the sign of in Ellen's?

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RULE. Avoid the common error of omitting the letter f in the word of. It should be sounded distinctly like v.

Nothing is more common than this error, especially in conversation. Thus: 'I heard of the man who spoke of the house,' is often read in this manner: 'I heard o' the man who spoke o' the house.'

LAURA AND JULIET.

1. Laura. I do not like this book very well; it is too hard.

2. Juliet. I think the lessons are very easy to understand. What part of it do you find difficult?

3. Laura. I mean that there are so many things to learn about every lesson, that it takes too much time to study it. Those books are most pleasant, that let us read straight along, without being so particular as to pronouncing every word correctly, and knowing the meaning of every word. I should know the meaning of the lessons well enough, and read them so that I could be understood, without these rules, and all this study.

4. Juliet. If you know so much already, I should think you could read according to these rules, and avoid all the errors, without much study. I need to study my lessons many times; but I remember the rules pretty well, and can see how to avoid most of the errors in pronouncing the words.

5. Laura. What good do you suppose it will ever do you, to be so very particular and nice about your reading?

6. Juliet. I suppose that I shall better understand what I read, and make others understand better when I read to them. Besides, my father and mother have often told me that, whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well; and everybody says that it is very important to read well. You like to sew well, to dress yourself well, and to appear well in company; but those things are not better than reading well.

7. Laura. I think it is very important to talk cor rectly, but I do not love to take so much pains about reading It is very dull, to sit for a half an hour, and sometimes more, in studying one short lesson so that we can read it as the book says is right.

8. Juliet. But if you do not know how to read correctly, you will not be likely to converse correctly. I

think that we pronounce as many words wrong in talking, as in reading; and if the book teaches us what errors to avoid in reading, we must avoid them in conversation too. And I do not see that it is harder or duller to study for half an hour, or an hour, in learning how to read, than in learning our lessons in arithmetic and geography.

9. Laura. We cannot recite our arithmetic and geography at all, without studying the lessons, but we can read pretty well without it.

10. Juliet. You call it reading pretty well, because you do not care much about reading; but ought we not to be more ashamed of reading badly, than of walking or dancing badly? Ought we not to think it worse to mispronounce words, than to wear very mean clothes?

11. Laura. I think there is some truth in what you say; and I believe that I shall take more pains to study my lessons. If you notice any errors in my conversation, I wish you to mention them.

12. Juliet. I do not wish to set myself up for a teacher; but, since you request it, I will mention two or three. In your last answer, you said bleeve for believe, and Ishl for I shall. In the answer just before the last, you said rithmetic for arithmetic, and jography for geography, and studyin for studying, and thout for without. If you had studied your lessons well, you would have learned to avoid such errors as these.

13. Laura. Well, if I make so many mistakes, it is quite time that I should be studying to correct them. But I shall need some one to point out my errors in conversation.

14. Juliet. Every one will assist you, if you really try to correct them; and you will soon learn to avoid many of them, and to see your own faults without hav ing them told you.

15. Laura. I will certainly try very hard, ana study all the lessons till I have learned the book through. Then, if I can read and converse more correctly, I shall be glad that the book is made in this manner; but if I cannot then do better than I do now, I shall tell the author that this book is not a good one, and that he must give me one that is better.

16. Juliet. That is all fair. We will learn our lessons together, and help each other, when we read and when we talk, to avoid those foolish and uncomely

errors.

ERRORS.

3. meanin for meaning. 8. currekly for correctly. 10. cloze for clothes. 13. sumenny for so many; currect for correct. 14. sist for assist. 15. certnly for certainly.

QUESTIONS.

What error does this Rule forbid? There is only one word in which ƒ sounds like v; what is that word? What is the Rule before Lesson 1 ?-before Lesson 2?-before Lesson 3?-before Lesson 4?

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