more on pronouns, before we come to our story."

The thought of a story always gave Mary courage to get through the difficult parts of her lesson. It is true, that parsing the story obliged her sometimes to work hard; but she knew that nothing could be well learned without taking pains. Then she was really fond of learning new things, and she thought any pains-taking better than being ignorant.

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS.

LESSON VIII.

"THE next class of pronouns are the demonstrative. They are, this, these, that, those, what, and which. They are called demonstrative, because they demonstrate or mark out the noun before which they are placed, as this orange is very sweet."

"Yes," said Mary; "this marks out the noun orange, which is very sweet."

"I will give you another example," said her mother; "that apple is sour; now, let me see if you can find out one, Mary."

"These plums are ripe," said Mary, "those nuts are hard, which,"-then, interrupting herself, she added, "I cannot tell what which points out?

"Which book will you read in, Mary? What fruit do you like best?"

"But, mamma, what and which do not seem to me to point out the noun, as the other demonstrative pronouns do? When you said this orange is sweet, and that apple is sour, this and that show which particular orange it is that is sweet, and which particular apple it is that is sour; but if I ask which book I am to read in? which, so far from pointing out the book, means that I do not know, and so ask you to tell me and it is just the same with What fruit do you like best? if the pronoun what showed what fruit I liked best, I need not ask you the question."

Her mother smiled and said, "Your observation shows that you think about it, Mary. What you have said is very true, 'which,' and what,' do not point out any particular

objeet; but they ask you to point out or demonstrate which or what particular thing you are enquiring after; and, for this reason, perhaps, have been generally called demonstrative pronouns. But they are sometimes, and I think more properly, called 'interrogative' pronouns; because they ask questions."

"But, mamma, there is another thing that puzzles me; you said that which was a relative pronoun, can it be a demonstrative pronoun also?"

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"Yes," replied her mother; "but it cannot be both at the same time, for it has different meanings as a relative, or as a demonstrative pronoun. When it relates to an antecedent, as the book which I read in,' it is a relative pronoun; but when it points out a noun that follows, as, which book will you read in? it is demonstrative, or interrogative, because it asks questions. But we have said so much of which and what, that we have almost forgotten the other demonstrative pronouns ; let me see whether you can introduce this, that, these, and those, into a sentence."

Mary thought a little, and then said "I am going to put the room in order, mamma;

I will place these chairs round this table, and put those prints on that table."

"Very well: do you understand the difference between this table and that table ?"

"There is a great deal of difference," said Mary, looking at them, "one is square, and the other is round; then this table is large, and that is small."

"And do the pronouns this and that point out the difference between the tables ?"

"Oh no," said Mary, laughing; "this does not mean a large round table, and that a small square one; for if you said this table and that table, without my seeing them, I should not know at all of what shape they were.'

"Then, what does this table and that table mean?"

"This," replied Mary, "means the table nearest to us; and that the table further off."

"Ah! now you are right," said her mother, "and I dare say you will be able to tell me what these and those mean?"

"The same thing, mamma, only they are plural instead of singular. These chairs are

nearer to us than those prints. I like these apples better that those I ate yesterday." Mary then ran to the piano, and began playing a waltz; her mother waited patiently till she had finished it, but then she began another, and her mother enquired how many waltzes she meant to play before she went on with her lesson.

"Only two," replied Mary. "I wanted to tell you that I do not like this waltz so well as that I played first."

Her mother laughed at her example; and said, "So, then, you are practising your lesson of grammar on the piano."

"But, mamma," said Mary, "I have got into a puzzle with my example of the waltzes. They were both played on the same piano, so how can one be further off than the other?"

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They are both at the same distance in point of place, my dear, certainly; but not in point of time, for you played the one before you played the other."

"Then, there are two further-offs?" said Mary.

"Yes: the one relates to time, and the