as

mangled 54 body was brought in. Its master, with such pitiable 55 looks, with such moans and broken utterances, 56 melted the heart of everybody in the room, spread himself half-length over the table, and mourned 57 his canary-bird as if his heart would break.

Every one sympathised with him, and most of all the band of musicians. They got together in a corner of the room, and, after much whispering and wiping of their eyes and cheeks, one of their number stepped up 58 to the poor canary-master and thrust 59 a small parcel of money into his pocket. The poor man unconsciously 60 put his hand there, and brought out by accident another little bag, at the sight of which his grief and agitation redoubled for it contained 62 the canary seed which he had bought that morning for his dead little friend.

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He opened the bag with an air of despair and tenderness, took out some of the seed, put it to the bill of the lifeless 63 bird, and exclaimed! "No, poor Jewel, no! thou canst not peck any more out of this hand, that has fed 6 thee for so many years! Thou canst not remember how happy we both were when I bought 65 this bagful for thee!"

OUTLINE.-To be made by the pupil.

PHRASEOLOGY.-1. Living, residing. 2. Annual, yearly. 3. Band, number; company. 4. Received, got; was allowed; was granted. 5. Leave, go away. 6. Educating, training. 7. Talents, endowments; faculties; natural abilities. 8. Fame, renown; celebrity; reputation. 9. Permission, leave. 10. Good-natured, kind. 11. Curiosity, wish. 12. Produced, showed; brought forward. 13. Perched, placed; set up on. 14. Addressed, spoke to. 15. Sagacity, wisdom; intelligence. 16. Disappoint, destroy. 17. Opinion, notion; estimation. 18. Report, fame; rumour. 19. Losing, forfeiting. 20. Conduct yourself, behave; act. 21. Sloped, inclined; slanted. 22. Promised, assured; pledged. 23. Carry out, perform; execute; do. 24. Harsh, grating. 25. Pathetic, feeling; mournful. 26. Changed, turned. 27. Forgetting, neglecting. 28. Ordered, bade; commanded. 29. Variation, change. 30. Declared, asserted; maintained. 31. Civility, politeness. 32. Respectfully, deferentially. 33. Different, distinct. 34. Performance, exploit; feat. 35. Weary, tired; fatigued. 36. Show the ladies how, let the ladies see how. 37. Taper, slender. 38. Surpassed, beat; excelled. 39. Finish, end; close. 40. Activity, agility; nimbleness. 41. Obeyed, complied with; carried out. 42. Applause, cheers; plaudits. 43. Intoxicated, drunk; infatuated. 44. Hurried, hastened; came quickly. 45. Caressing, stroking; fondling. 46. Pretended, feigned; simulated. 47. Stretched out, held out; extended. 48. Suddenly, unexpectedly; hastily. 49. Seemed, appeared. 50. Seized; pounced upon. 51. Caught, captured; seized. 52. Emptied, deserted. 53. Pursuit, chase. 54. Mangled, torn; lacerated. 55. Pitiable, mournful. 56. Utterances, cries; sobbings. 57. Mourned, lamented; wept

62.

for. 58. Stepped up, approached; came. 59. Thrust, put; placed. 60. Unconsciously, unwittingly; undesignedly. 61. Redoubled, increased. Contained, held. 63. Lifeless, dead; inanimate. 64. Fed, nourished; cherished. 65. Bought, purchased.

Ex. 34. THE CREDULOUS BRAHMIN.

A PIOUS Brahmin, it is written, made a vow that on a certain day he would sacrifice a sheep, and on the appointed morning he went forth to buy one. There lived in his neighbourhood three rogues who knew of his vow, and laid a scheme for profiting by it. The first met him, and said, "O Brahmin, wilt thou buy a sheep? I have one fit for sacrifice." "It is for that very purpose,' "said the holy man, "that I came forth this day."

Then

the impostor opened a bag, and brought out of it an unclean beast, an ugly dog, lame and blind. Thereon the Brahmin cried out, "Wretch, who touchest things impure, and utterest things untrue, callest thou that cur a sheep?" "Truly," answered the other, "it is a sheep of the finest fleece and of the sweetest flesh. O Brahmin, it will be an offering most acceptable to the gods." "Friend,” said the Brahmin, "either I or thou must be blind." Just then one of the accomplices came up. "Praised be the gods," said the second rogue, "that I have been saved the trouble of going to the market for a sheep! This is such a sheep as I wanted. For how much wilt thou sell it ?" When the Brahmin heard this, his mind waved to and fro, like one swinging in the air at a holy festival. "Sir, " said he to the new comer, heed what thou dost; this is no sheep, but an unclean cur." Brahmin," said the new comer, "thou art drunk or mad!"

"take "O

At this time the third confederate drew near. 66 Let us ask this man," said the Brahmin, "what the creature is, and I will stand by what he shall say." To this the others agreed; and the Brahmin called out, "O stranger, what dost thou call this beast ?" "Surely, O Brahmin," said the knave, "it is a fine sheep." Then the Brahmin said, "Surely the gods have taken away my senses,' and he asked pardon of him who carried the dog, and bought it for a measure of rice and a pot of ghee, and offered it up to the gods, who, being wroth at this unclean sacrifice, smote him with a sore disease in all his joints.-MACAULAY.

OUTLINE.-1. A pious Brahmin vows to offer up a sheep in sacrifice on a certain day. 2. Three rogues living in his neighbourhood hear of it, and resolve to take advantage of his credulity. 3. The first rogue meeting him, asks him if he will buy a sheep; produces out of a bag an ugly dog, lame and blind, and asserts it is a sheep of the sweetest flesh and the

finest fleece. 4. The Brahmin says that either he or the other must be blind. 5. The second accomplice comes up, and is in ecstasies on seeing the "sheep"; says that now he will be saved the trouble of going to market to buy one. 6. The Brahmin tells him it is no sheep, but an ugly cur. 7. They agree to refer the matter to the third confederate, and the Brahmin says he will abide by the decision. 8. This man says it is a fine sheep; the Brahmin begs pardon; buys the animal for a high price; carries it off, and offers it up in sacrifice to the gods. 9. They, offended at the unclean sacrifice, smite him with a disease in all his joints.

Ex. 35.-THE KING AND THE LOCUSTS.

PART I.

A CERTAIN Eastern king, a good Mussulman, had a great love of stories, and the more he heard the more he would hear. His craze at last reached1 such a height that he issued a proclamation that to any man who would tell him a story that would never end, he would give his daughter in marriage; but that if he failed in his task his head would be chopped off, and his body cast to the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air.

Several candidates appeared, but they all had their heads chopped off, one after the other.

At last one came forward, a man very composed in manner, and slow and deliberate3 in speech. He first stipulated for certain hours for meals and sleep, which were granted; and he then began.

"O king, there was once a mighty emperor who was a great tyrant. Wishing to increase his riches, he seized upon all the corn which belonged to his subjects and stowed it away in an immense granary as big as a mountain, which he had built for the express purpose.

"In course of time he filled this granary up to the very top. He then got some bricklayers who blocked up all the doors and windows, and left, as they supposed, not a single crevice 5 by which any living creature could get in. But a swarm of locusts passing that way discovered a small chink which the workmen had overlooked," and which could only allow one at a time to wriggle in and wriggle out. And first one locust crept in and carried off a grain of corn and wriggled out, and then another locust crept in and carried off a grain of corn and wriggled out, and then another locust crept in and carried off a grain of corn and wriggled out, and then

I

Ex. 36.-PART II.

Morning, noon, and night, for a whole month, except when he was eating, drinking or sleeping, had the story-teller gone on in this fashion, when the king, whose patience was getting worn out, interrupted him," Well, suppose the locusts had walked off with all the corn they wanted, what happened afterwards ?" "May it please your majesty, I can't tell you what happened afterwards till I have told you what happened first."

Still on went the sing-song: "And then another locust crept in and carried off a grain of corn and wriggled out, and then another locust crept in and carried off a grain of corn and wriggled out, and then another locust crept in and carried off a grain of corn and wriggled——'

8

Stop, stop, with your wriggling," cried the king, when an outpour of talk similar to this had been going on for six months longer; "I am sick to death of your locusts. When do you think they will have done?"

"The wisest of mortals cannot tell, O king; for up to the time to which my story has come, the locusts have only cleared a small space, about a cubit each way in the store of corn next to the chink in the wall, and the sun is still darkened by the clouds of locusts outside the granary waiting for their turn to creep in, but we shall come to the end of them in time.'

"Go on then, in the prophet's name," exclaimed the king. "And then another locust crept in and carried off a grain of corn and wriggled out, and then another locust crept in and carried off a grain of corn and wriggled-" and so on for a year longer.

"By the seven stars in Allah's girdle," cried the infuriated 10 king, "I can stand this no longer. Take my daughter!-take my kingdom! take anything-everything, but don't, pray don't let us hear anything more of these detestable11 locusts.

And thus the story-teller became the king's son-in-law, and afterwards succeeded him on the throne.

OUTLINE.-1. An Eastern king, very fond of having stories told him; never tired of them in fact. 2. Gets quites crazed on the subject; issues a proclamation; reward for telling him an endless story-his daughter's hand in marriage; punishment, head chopped off, body cast forth unburied. 3. Several candidates; all failures.

4. One story-teller comes forward; his conditions are granted. 5. He tells about a king, a very avaricious man; this king wishes to increase his riches; a granary, big as a mountain is built for him; in this he puts the corn taken from his subjects.

6. In a few years the granary is filled; the windows and doors are then bricked up; not a single crevice left open. 7. A swarm of locusts, however, discover a small chink. 8. The story here goes on in a sing-song manner. 9. Story continues for six months longer; the king gets tired; inquires when they will have done abstracting the corn; is informed that no one can tell that yet. 10. The same song still goes on.

11. The king at last starts up in a storm of fury; tells the story-teller he is unendurable; his daughter, even his very life, is his; he must hold his tongue, however, for evermore.

6. Over

PHRASEOLOGY.-1. Reached, got to; attained. 2. Appeared, came forward; presented themselves. 3. Deliberate in, chary of. 4. Stipulated, bargained; covenanted. 5. Crevice, crack; opening; cranny. looked, not seen to; missed. 7. Interrupted, broke in upon; checked. 8. Outpour, flood; deluge. 9. Exclaimed, cried; said. 10. Infuriated, mad with rage; exasperated. 11. Detestable, execrable; demoniacal.