EBONY AND PINE.
After riding along a short distance in silence, Marco introduced the subject of the different woods once more. He asked Forester which was the most costly of all the woods.
"Costly is not an ambiguous term," said Forester; "that means, which has the greatest money value."
"Yes," said Marco. "I suppose it is mahogany."
"O no," said Forester.
"Rose wood, then," said Marco. "It must be rose wood. My mother has a beautiful piano made of rose wood."
"No," said Forester. "Ebony is more costly than either rose wood or mahogany. They sell ebony by the pound."
"Where does ebony come from?" asked Marco.
"I don't know," replied Forester.
"I should like to know," said Marco. "How much do they sell it for, by the pound?"