Mary looked upon it very attentively for a few minutes in silence, and then said, suddenly,
“O, I see.”
“What?” said Rollo.
She did not answer, but pointed down to the platform by the side of the basin.
Rollo looked where she pointed, and saw the hammer lying there. He had had it to play with a short time before, and, when he brought the basin of water, he had laid it down by his side.
“What?” said Rollo.
“The hammer attracts the needle,” replied Mary.
“The hammer?” said Rollo.
“Yes,” replied Mary. “Don’t you know that iron attracts the needle, and it will not point to the north if there is any iron near to draw it away?”