What is the superlative of fort ? — It is le plus fort

— And it is also très fort, is it not ? — Yes. — Which is the strongest of ail the fingers ? — The thumb. — Yes, it is very strong. What is the opposite of fort ? — It is faible. — What is the superlative of faible ? — It is le plus faible. — And très faible, is it not ? and also le moins faible.

— Yes. — Is the ring-finger stronger or less strong than the forefinger? — It is less strong. — Is itweak? — Yes, very weak, the weakest of ail the fingers. — Which is the smallest of the fingers? — The little finger? — Where is the middle finger? — It is between the forefinger and the ring-finger. — Is it long ? — Very long. It is the longest of ail the fingers. — The lesson is finished. Good-bye, my little friend. Good-bye, ladies.

1. Do y ou know how to add in French, madam? — Not very vvell. — You are near the blackboard (tableau). Write two and two. Add. — Two and two make four. — And three and two ? — Three and two make five. — The right hand has five fingers. Has the left hand more or less than five fingers ? — It has neither more nor less than five fingers. — Add five and five. — Five and five make ten. — That is right. Both hands together hâve ten fingers.

Brookline is near Boston, is it not ? — Yes, sir, very

near. — Is New York also near Boston? — No, it is far from Boston. — And Chicago ? — It is very far from Boston. — Is it farther from Boston than Paris ? — On the contrary, it is not so far from Boston as Paris. — And the moon (la lune) ? — Oh ! the moon, it is very far, very far from Boston, much farther than Paris.

2. Do you know how to write, George ? — I know how to write very vvell. — With which hand do you write ? — I write with the right hand. — Do you know how to write with the left hand ? — Not very well. — Mal is the opposite of bien. Do you write poorly with your left hand ? — Very poorly, sir. — Take the pen. Take it in the right hand. Hold it between the thumb and the middle finger. Write : " I admire little Mary's beautiful little hand. Mary's hand is smaller and less strong than the little boy's hand, but it is more beautiful, it is very beautiful." — That is a fine compliment. Do you understand the compliment, Mary ? — Yes, sir. — Does George write well ? — He writes very well. — Ah, that is a fine compliment too. The lesson is ended. Good-bye, little girl and little boy.

What am I doing? — You are raising both arms. You are lowering them. You are raising the right arm ; you are lowering it. — What am I doing now ? — You are crossing your arms ; you are opening them ; you are extending them. — And now? — You are kissing your right hand. — To salute madame, am I not ? And what is George doing? — He is pushing Mary with his elbow. — Why? — I do not know why. — Do not push Mary, my

little friend. Offer her your arm. You accept it, do you not, Mary? Take George's right arm. What are you doing, little girl? — I am taking George's arm. — That is right ; there you are arm in arm. What is the opposite of dessus ? — It is dessous. — And the opposite of sur ? — It is sous. — Do you carry the book on your arm or under your arm? — I carry it under my arm. — Is the pen on the table or under the table ? — It is on the table. — Do you see the flesh of the arms and hands, mademoiselle?

— I do not see it. — Why do you not see it ? — Because it is under the skin.

2. Are the hands useful, George? — Very useful. — And the arms ? — The arms also. The hands and the arms are necessary in order to work. — Is it praiseworthy to work? — It is very praiseworthy to work. Man must work. — Yes, we must work. We work every day of the week (la semaine), except Sunday.

Thèse are the days of the week : lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, ve?idredi, samedi, dimanche. Lundi is the first day of the week in French ; dimanche is the seventh. Which is the first day of the week in English ? — It is Sunday. — Do we work, do we study French on Sunday? — No, sir.

— Do you sew on Sunday, Mary ? — I never sew. — Ah ! are you idle ? — No, I am very industrious ; I study a great deal every day in the week, except Sunday. — That is right ; always be industrious ; diligence is a virtue, and idleness a vice ; is it not so, dear little friend ?

Hère are the arms, hère is the trunk. What joins the arms to the trunk? — The shoulders. — Yes, the shoulder joins the arm to the trunk, as the vvrist joins the hand to the arm. Are you strong, George? Are you stronger than Samson ? Are you as strong as Samson ? — What a question, sir ! — You cannot carry as many kilograms as Samson. Hovv many kilograms can you carry on your shoulders? — I do not knovv hovv much I can carry. — Can I carry more than you ? — You can carry much more than I can. — As much as Samson ? — Oh, no ! you hâve not Samson's strength. — Can you carry a pen ? — What a question you ask, sir ! — Can you carry a gun ? Where do you carry the gun ? — On my shoulder or under my arm* — And your book ? — Under my arm, or in my hand, or in my pocket.

Do you like arithmetic, mademoiselle ? — Not very well, not so well as French. — Do you knovv the four arithmetical opérations, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division? — I do knovv them. — Do you knovv fractions ? — Yes. — What is one half of tvventy-tvvo kilograms ? — Eleven kilograms. — What is one third of tvvelve kilograms? — Four kilograms. — And one quarter of sixteen kilograms? — That is four too. — Add tvvelve and four. — Tvvelve and four are sixteen. — How many scholars are présent at the lesson ? — Tvventy scholars are présent. — How many are absent? — Tvvo. — Are you absent sometimes, George? — Never, sir.

i. Hair (les cheveux) is on the head of men and of women. George admires Mary s chevehire. Chevelure is a collective noun, ladies. Which do you prefer, my little friend, long hair or short hair? — For girls I prefer long hair, and for myself short. — You are right. There is black hair and brown hair, chestnut, blonde, and red. Which do you prefer? — Blonde. — Do you wear your hair in braids or in curls ? — I cannot wear either braids or curls, because my hair is short. — Are braids becoming to madame? — They are very becoming to her. — Hâve you a comb, a hair-brush, and razors? — I hâve no razors. — Why ? — Because I do not need razors, they are useless for me ; I hâve no beard. — Poor boy ! I pity you. — Why, sir? People do not hâve beards at my âge. I am not yet thirteen years old. — True. Who cuts your hair ? — The barber. — With what does he eut it ? — With large scissors.

2. Chapter V. is difficult to understand, sir. The vocabulary of the chapter is very large. There are many words that we do not understand. — Are you very sure of that? — Yes. — Let us see. You understand cheval, âne, bœuf, vache, chameau. Rossinante, le cheval de don Quichotte, was not large. — I understand. — And Pane, that great musician. . . — I understand. — Well, what do you not understand ? — The cils, the sourcils. — Pay attention. Look at my gesture. Thèse are the eyebrows and the eyelashes. They are made of poils, like the beard and the mustache. Thèse are not cheveux. — What is the meaning of mens sana in corpore sano ? — A sound

mind in a sound body, a mind that is not diseased and a body that is not diseased, two good things, are they not ? Had Don Quixote a sound mind or a diseased mind? — The poor man had a diseased mind. I understand métis sana. — You are acquainted with Homer's Uiad, a great Greek book. Is it an epic or a tragedy ? — It is an epic.

— Yes, the grandest of ail epics. And Shakspeare's Hamlet? — That is an English tragedy, grand and beautiful ! — Homer and Shakspeare are two poets, immortal and famous. Which is the greater of the two? — That is a difficult question. — You are right ; be wise like Socrates and say : I do not know.

Chapter VI. is as easy as Chapter V. is difficult. You go from the known to the unknown, sir, but you do not go from the easy to the difficult when you pass from Chapter V. to Chapter VI. — Are you quite sure of that, madame? You understand Chapter VI. more readily because we can put our finger on the objects that are hère, near us, in the class-room. You understand when I say, I rise, because I rise ; and you understand me when I say, I am standing, because you see that I am standing. Is it not true ? You understand armchair, chair, candiestick, pencil, penknife, pen, etc., because I put my finger on thèse objects. Can you stand, Mary? — Yes, sir. See, I rise, and I am standing. — On one foot or on two feet ?

— On two feet. — The candlestick stands on one foot. Do you need two feet to stand on ? Can you not stand on one foot? — I can, but I prefer to use both feet. — You are right, my dear friend. What are you doing, George ?

— I am snuffing the candie. — With your fingers ! Do you not see the snuffers that are there, near you, on the table? Use them, then, and do not soil your fingers.

i. Ordinarily we take three meals a day ; we breakfast in /he morning, earlier or later (plus ou moins tôt). De fyonne heure is a synonym for tôt. There are some people tvho breakfast early, betvveen four and Rve o'clock. There are some who breakfast very late, at nine or ten o'clock. Probably thèse people go to bed late, at midnight or later still. That is bad for the health. At what hour do you go to bed, madame ? — At midnight. — You do wrong, i think. Are you well? — My health is not very good. [ am always tired. — Do you see that I am right ? Why do you not go to bed early, and why do you not get up at five or six o'clock?

We dine in the middle of the day, at twelve, half-past tvvelve, or one. — In Boston people dine in the evening.

— Yes, my friend, in New York and in Paris too. Do not the people in thèse great cities take anything to eat in (he middle of the day? — They take a second breakfast.

— A breakfast à la fourchette. At the first breakfast we do not need forks.