"But I should never say, 'there they goes,'" said Charles, "I know better than that."
"Ah, Charles," said his papa, "you must learn a little more grammar, and then you will know that you made exactly the same blunder as the butcher's boy, when you said, 'there goes two white horses,' you should have said, 'there go two white horses.'"
"Should I? I did not know that," said Charles.
"Which shews how necessary it is, that you should learn grammar, my boy, and then you will know that go is plural, and goes is singular, so that if you are speaking of more than one horse, it is proper to say go, because we say, 'they go;' but if you are speaking of only one, it is proper to say goes, because we should say, 'he goes.'"
"Thank you, papa, I think I shall remember that, and I will not wish to leave off grammar, for I see that geography would not teach me to speak properly; and I should not like to be thought an ignorant man when I grow up."
"I hope not, my dear, and I also hope there is no danger of such a misfortune, for you have a great many years to learn in; and if you make good use of them, you will know a great deal by the time you are twenty."
"So I shall," said Charles, "I will learn as much as I can every day."
"A very good resolution," said his papa; "education is one of the best things in the world. I will tell you an entertaining story on this very subject."
"Do, papa, I should like to hear it very much; I am so fond of stories."
"But this is a true one, Charles, which makes it all the better. You have seen in your map of America, a country called Peru?"