And as in twenty bits the spectacles lay,
Matilda’s grandmamma Matilda spies.
CHAPTER IV.
SERJEANT PARSING’S VISIT.
SERGEANT
PARSING
SERJEANT PARSING paid a visit to Schoolroom-shire.
“My young friends,” he said, in his most amiable voice, “may I trouble you with a little piece of business for Judge Grammar to-day. I have here a story, and the Judge requests that you will kindly find out how many of the words in it belong to Mr. Noun, how many to Mr. Pronoun, and how often little ragged Article comes in. The best way to do this is to get your slates, and mark off a piece for Mr. Noun, another for Mr. Pronoun, and a corner somewhere for little Article. Write their names in each. Now I will read the story, and whenever I come to a noun, give Mr. Noun a mark; whenever I read a pronoun, give a mark to Mr. Pronoun; and if I read an a, an, or the, put down a mark to little Article. When it is finished we will count up and see who has the most marks.”
Serjeant Parsing then read the following story:—