“Why, that is keeping on steadily at your work, and not giving it up until it is entirely finished.”
“Why, Miss Anne,” said Lucy, “I thought that was industrious.”
Here Miss Anne began to laugh, and Lucy said,
“Now, what are you laughing at, Miss Anne?” She thought that she was laughing at her.
“O, I am not laughing at you, but at my own definitions.”
“Definitions! What are definitions, Miss Anne?” said Lucy.
“Why, explanations of the meanings of words. You asked me what was the meaning of industrious and persevering; and I tried to explain them to you; that is, to tell you the definition of them; but I gave pretty much the same definition for both; when, in fact, they mean quite different things.”
“Then why did not you give me different definitions, Miss Anne?” said Lucy.
“It is very hard to give good definitions,” said she.
“I should not think it would be hard. I should think, if you knew what the words meant, you could just tell me.”