All in a garden fair; the simple story of three boys ... - University Library

8o ALL L\ A GARDEN FAIR.
and tilings of tliat sort; mid tliey perceived
that a certain amount of grammar was neces-
sary, which M. rhili})Oii was so good as to put
into their lieads ; but there was no regular
teaching ; lie sat and listened while they talked
and read. One may remark that if he had
adopted the method at his school, the girls
would have really learned French ; but he was
expected to follow the lines to which his em-
ployer was accustomed. That is to say, he
read Eacine Avith the girls and made them
write exercises on the experiences of the watch-
maker's aunt and the gardener's grandfather.
Therefore, the girls did not learn French at all
and the boys did, though they wrote no exer-
cises at all and knew nothing about the gar-
dener's grandfather. The diilerence was that
Miss Billingsworth bought a machine warranted
to grind in one way only, and that the boys
got a man's brains given to their service and
always tliiiikiiig wliat would be best for tlicm.
Wlien tlieir ears liad caught the sound of
the French language, when tliey had learned