"Observe," said Adjective with a courteous air, "that I arrange my words in three rows, one above another, which I call degrees of comparison—positive, comparative, superlative."
"I see, I see," exclaimed Dick; "here's a bonnet, frightful—that's positive; another more frightful—that's comparative; and this with the superlative yellow tuft, I should call the most frightful of all. So, Nelly's clever—that's positive—"
"I don't think so," murmured Nelly.
"Matty's cleverer—that's comparative."
Matty laughed.
"And I am superlatively clever—without doubt the cleverest of all!"
"In your own opinion," growled Lubin.
Nelly wandered on to the next stall, which was kept by the maiden Pronoun. Though smaller in size, she was so much like her sister Noun as to be frequently taken for her. As it was a trouble to stout Noun to go far or move fast, she very often sent Pronoun upon various errands in her stead. Pronoun sold not many words; such as she had were mere pictures of such as were kept by her sister. I, thou, he, she, and it, and some others which we need not stop to enumerate.
"Here's a famous big stall!" exclaimed Dick, stopping in front of Verb's, which was a very remarkable one, being covered with clock-work figures all in motion. One could see by them what it is to plough, to sow, to reap, to work, to weep, and to dance. The counter of Verb was almost as extensive as that of her sister Noun.
"How do you make all these things move?" said Dick with some curiosity to Verb.