"It is the custom," he replied, "in this place for one person only to remain covered."

3. Before the civil war Wendell Phillips, the distinguished abolitionist, went to Charlestown, and put up at a hotel. He had breakfast served in his room, and was waited upon by a slave. Mr. Phillips seized the opportunity to represent to the negro in a pathetic way that he regarded him as a man and brother, and, more than that, that he himself was an abolitionist. The negro, however, seemed more anxious about the breakfast than he was about his position in the social scale or the condition of his soul, and finally Mr. Phillips became discouraged and told him to go away, saying that he could not bear to be waited on by a slave. "You must 'scuse me, massa," said the negro; "I is 'bliged to stay here 'cause I'm 'sponsible for de silverware."

4. Mahomet made the people believe that he would call a hill to him, and from the top of it offer up his prayers for the observance of his law. The people assembled. Mahomet called the hill to come to him again and again; and when the hill stood still he was never a whit abashed, but said, "If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the hill.”

5. A certain traveller of practical mind once visited a famous shrine where a holy lamp had been kept burning for five and, as some said, for eight hundred years.

An ancient monk showed him the lamp. "Yes, noble Pilgrim," he said, "I have watched it for sixty years, and the good father who was before me, he tended it for seventyone, so that the everlasting flame has had but two guardians in a hundred and thirty years."

"And before that?" asked the traveller.

A

"Before that, noble Pilgrim? Ah! we do not know. All we know, for the books show it, is that the everlasting

flame has not been out for five hundred years; it is said, indeed, for eight hundred, but that is tradition. Here is a copy of the book would his excellency like to see it?" and the monk turned to reach down the volume.

"Never been out?" Puff. "Well," added the traveller reflectively, "anyway, I guess that it is out now!"

C. Observe how the characters of Lord Dudley and Washington are brought out in the anecdotes below. Try to exhibit in an equally striking way, by means of a similar anecdote, the character of an acquaintance.

1. Lord Dudley was regular as clock-work-not only in his hours but also in his habits. He could not dine comfortably without apple-pie, which, properly made, is a wholesome and excellent dish. Dining, when Foreign Secretary, at Prince Esterhazy's—a grand dinner- he was terribly put out on finding that his favorite delicacy was wanting, and kept murmuring, pretty audibly, in his absent way, "God bless my soul, no apple-pie!"

2. When Stuart was painting Washington's portrait, he was rallied one day by the General for his slow work. The painter protested that the picture could not advance until the canvas was dry, and that there must be yet some delay. Upon arriving next morning, Stuart turned his canvas and discovered, to his great horror, that the picture was spoiled. "General," said he, "somebody has held this picture to the fire."

Washington summoned his negro valet, Sam, and demanded of him, in great indignation, who had dared to touch the portrait. The trembling Sam replied, that, chancing to overhear Washington's expression of impatience at the slowness of the work, and the response of the artist that it must dry before he could go on, he had ventured to put the canvas before the fire. Washington, with great

anger, dismissed him, and told him not to show his face again.

But the next day, after Stuart had arrived and was preparing to work, Washington rang the bell, and sent for Sam. He came in abashed and trembling. The President drew a new silver watch from his pocket, and said:

"Come here, Sam. Take this watch, and whenever you look at it, remember that your master, in a moment of passion, said to you what he now regrets, and that he was not ashamed to confess that he had done so."

Conversation and Dialogue.

93. The parts of a story in which the characters speak in their own person are always highly interesting. Most readers turn with satisfaction from the solid page in which things are reported by the author in his own. words, to the page that is broken by conversation and dialogue of the characters themselves. Good conversation gives added life and significance to the story. It is part of the very genius of narrative since it carries the story forward, whereas descriptive passages (often intentionally and properly) seem to delay the story. Readers who have the bad habit of "skipping" seldom skip the conversations. It is not always possible, or best, to use conversation in a story, and good conversation is the hardest part of a story to write; yet every story may contain some conversation, and it is a good plan to use conversation wherever it suggests itself.

Good conversation should accomplish one or both of two things for the story.

(1) It should give hints of character; the reader makes constant inferences about the speaker's traits

from his talk. We infer also differences in the characters from what they say. When all of the conversation of a given speaker causes the reader to make harmonious and consistent inferences about that speaker's character, the talk of that speaker is said to be in character. When any remark of a speaker causes an inference not intended by the author, the remark is said to be not in character, because inconsistent with the conception that had been given. To make interesting conversation that shall at the same time be significant is the aim of every storyteller.

(2) Conversation should also give hints of action; it should help on the plot; if it does not actually carry the plot forward, it should deepen our sense of its significance. It must be admitted, however, that in some stories the cleverness of the conversation is prized for its own sake, regardless of other considerations.

94. Assignments on Conversation and Dialogue.

A. What inferences of character and personal traits do you make from the conversation of the following story? What lines carry forward the plot?

They nicknamed him Corp because he took fits, when he lay like one dead. He was proud of his fits, was Corp, but they were a bother to him, too, because he could make so little of them. They interested doctors and other carriage folk, who came to his aunt's house to put their fingers into him, and gave him sixpence, and would have given him more, but when they pressed him to tell them what he remembered about his fits, he could only answer dejectedly, "Not a thing."

"You might just as well no have them ava,” his wrathful

aunt, with whom he lived, would say, and she thrashed him until his size forbade it.

Soon after the Muckley came word that the Lady of the Spittal was to be brought to see Corp by Mr. Ogilvy, the schoolmaster of Glen Quharity, and at first Corp boasted of it, but as the appointed day drew near, he became uneasy.

"The worst o't," he said to any one who would listen, "is that my auntie is to be away frae hame, and so they'll put a' their questions to me."

The Haggerty-Taggertys and Birkie were so jealous that they said they were glad they never had fits, but Tommy made no such pretence.

"Oh, Corp, if I had thae fits of yours!" he exclaimed greedily.

"If they were mine to give awa'," replied Corp, sullenly, "you could have them and welcome." Grown meek in his trouble, he invited Tommy to speak freely, with the result that his eyes were partially opened to the superiority of that boy's attainments. Tommy told him a number of interesting things to say to Mr. Ogilvy and the lady about his fits, about how queer he felt just before they came on, and the visions he had while he was lying stiff. But though the admiring Corp gave attentive ear, he said hopelessly next day, "Not a dagont thing do I mind. When they question me about my fits, I'll just say I'm sometimes in them and sometimes out o' them, and if they badger me more, I can aye kick."

Tommy gave him a look that meant, "Fits are just wasted on you," and Corp replied with another that meant, "I ken they are." Then they parted, one of them to reflect.

"Corp," he said excitedly, when next they met, "has Mr. Ogilvy or the lady ever come to see you afore?”

They had not, and Corp was able to swear that they did not even know him by sight.