eyes were upon the book, and though his lips pronounced

Preterimperfect: eram, eras, erat; eramus, eratis, erant,

his thoughts were upon a little horse, with a long tail, which he hoped his father would buy for him. Then, recollecting himself, he went on to Preterperfect: fui, fuisti, fuit; fuimus, fuistis, fuerunt, vel fuere.

But, between this and the preterpluperfect, came a vision of a saddle and bridle. The idea of various pleasant rides he might take with his father, disturbed him many times in his progress through the potential mood.

Mary had completely finished all her morning lessons before he came to the participle future in rus.

His mother was going out to plant some flowers in her garden. Before

she went, she offered to hear Frank his lesson. He tried to say it, but he made half a dozen mistakes; he was sure he should have it, however, before she returned.

Mary would not go out without him, and took up a book to amuse herself till he should be ready.

He went on, dividing his attention between his grammar, which lay upon a chair, and Mary, who sat at a table at some distance.

es, esto.

Imperative mood, present tense: sis, I cannot conceive what is the matter with me this morning, that I cannot get this by heart. Mary, what's that beautiful book you have there?" *Cowper's Poems," said Mary... "I »hisa

am looking at the prints."

Plural, simus, sitis, este, estote. What is this?" said he, looking over

her.

"Verses, supposed to have

been written by Alexander Selkirk, during his solitary abode in the island." How very extraordinary! Do you know, my dear Mary, I was just thinking that I would play at Robinson Crusoe when I went out."

Well, make haste then, and come out," said Mary.

"Simus, sitis, este, estote, sint, sunto. But let me look at Robinson Crusoe's verses," said Frank; and he read them.

"I'm the monarch of all I survey,

My right there is none to dispute;
From the centre, all round to the sea,
I am lord of the fowl and the brute."

"My dear Frank, do get your lesson," interrupted Mary.

Well, I am getting it,” said Frank, running back to his book.

"Potential mood: sim, sis, sit; simus, sitis, sint." Then again to the

verses:

"I am out of humanity's reach;

I must finish my journey alone;

Never hear the sweet music of speech;
I start at the sound of my own."

Preterimperfect: essem, esses, esset; essemus, essetis, essent. What is that, Mary, about the death of a bullfinch, killed by a rat?"

"And Bully's cage, supported, stood,
On props of smoothest shaven wood,
Large built, and lattice1 well."

As Mary was curious to know what happened to Bully, she let him read on. And full a quarter of an hour was spent upon the dream that disturbed poor Bully's rest. Nor was it till he came to something about the bacchanalians, which they neither of them understood, that she begged him again to go to his lesson.

ning back to the chair, and glancing his eye upon the book; "fuissem, fuisses, fuisset; fuissemus, fuissetis, fuissunt.'

He did not look long enough to see that he should have said fuissent.

"Now I have it really quite perfect," concluded he, "and I will say it the moment my mother comes in. What is this about a parrot?"

He turned over the book from one thing to another, reading bits here and there. "Oh, Mary! look at these lines On the receipt of my mother's picture." "But what is this in prose?" said Mary, peeping between the leaves in another place, while Frank read on about my mother's picture.

"What is this, Frank, about three hares; Puss, Tiney, and Bess?”

Frank turned to it, and began to read