The bystanders dropped their eyes. One of them muttered: "He'd have to be devilish stout. And then he would risk getting crushed."

"Come," said Madeleine, "twenty louis."

The same silence.

“It is not willingness which they lack," said a voice.

Monsieur Madeleine turned and saw Javert. He had not noticed him when he came. Javert continued: "It is strength. He must be a terrible man who can raise a wagon like that on his back."

Then, looking fixedly at Monsieur Madeleine, he went on, emphasising every word that he uttered: "Monsieur Madeleine, I have known but one man capable of doing what you call for."

Madeleine shuddered.

Javert added, with an air of indifference, but without taking his eyes from Madeleine: "He was a convict."

"Ah!" said Madeleine.

"In the galleys at Toulon."8

Madeleine became pale.

Meanwhile the cart was slowly settling down. Father Fauchelevent screamed: "I am dying! my ribs are breaking! a jack! anything! oh!"

Madeleine looked around him:

"Is there nobody, then, who wants to earn twenty louis and save this poor old man's life?”

None of the bystanders moved. Javert resumed: "I have known but one man who could take the place of a jack; that was that convict."

Madeleine raised his head, met the falcon eye of Javert still fixed upon him, looked at the immovable peasants, and smiled sadly. Then, without saying a word, he fell on his knees, and even before the crowd had time to utter a cry, he was under the cart.

There was an awful moment of suspense and of silence. Madeleine, lying almost flat under the fearful weight, was twice seen to try in vain to bring his elbows and knees nearer together. They cried out to him: "Father Madeleine! come out from there!" Old Fauchelevent himself said: "Monsieur Madeleine! go away! I must die, you see that; leave me! you will be crushed too." Madeleine made no answer. The bystanders held their breath. The

wheels were still sinking, and it had now become almost impossible for Madeleine to extricate himself.

All at once the enormous mass started, the cart rose slowly, the wheels came half out of the ruts. A smothered voice was heard crying: "Quick! help!" It was Madeleine, who had just made a final effort. They all rushed to the work. The devotion of one man had given strength and courage to all. The cart was lifted by twenty arms. Old Fauchelevent was safe.

Madeleine arose. He was very pale, though dripping with sweat. His clothes were torn and covered with mud. All wept. The old man kissed his knees and called him the good God. He himself wore on his face an indescribable expression of joyous and celestial suffering, and he looked with tranquil eye upon Javert, who was still watching him.

[1. Mad (e) láyn. 2. Mo tréuy sur Máir. 3. Fa téen. 4. Zha darm(e) ríe (police). 5. Zha váir. 6. Fōsh 1 (e) vá. 7. Louis dór. 8. Tool 6.

a is pronounced as in father; an italicized vowel should be given the French nasal sound.]

LESSON III

Oral composition. Whenever you are called on to recite, try to speak without hesitating; but if you do have to pause now and then to think of the exact word you want to use, do not say er; it is much better to say nothing. Avoid introducing into your recitation too many and's, well's, and why's.

1. Tell the story of the accident that befell Father Fauchelevent. 2. Tell the story of an accident you may have seen.

3. Give a character-sketch of Father Madeleine. (Tell how he looked, and what he was.)

4. Give a character-sketch of some prominent man or woman in your own city.

5. Give a short account of the life of Victor Hugo. (You can find something about him in an encyclopedia.)

LESSON IV

Write a theme of about two hundred words on one of these subjects.

LESSON V

Penmanship, dictation, or memorizing exercise. Note that the first word in every line of poetry is capitalized.

"I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER"

I REMEMBER, I remember,

The house where I was born,
The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn;
He never came a wink too soon,
Nor brought too long a day,
But now, I often wish the night
Had borne my breath away!

I remember, I remember,
The roses, red and white,
The violets, and the lily-cups,
Those flowers made of light!
The lilacs where the robin built,
And where my brother set
The laburnum on his birthday,-
The tree is living yet!

I remember, I remember,

Where I was used to swing,

And thought the air must rush as fresh

To swallows on the wing;

My spirit flew in feathers then,

That is so heavy now,

And summer pools could hardly cool

The fever on my brow!

C

I remember, I remember,
The fir-trees dark and high;
I used to think their slender tops
Were close against the sky.
It was a childish ignorance,

But now 'tis little joy,

To know I'm farther off from heav'n

Than when I was a boy.

Thomas Hood (1799-1845)

CHAPTER III

SIMPLE SENTENCE

LESSON I

Why should we begin our study of English composition by considering the sentence? The sentence is not the simplest form of speech; but neither is the foot or the meter the shortest length that we recognize. The foot and the meter are considered units of length; in the same way we may consider the sentence as the unit of speech.

Simple sentence. A simple sentence is a group of words expressing one complete thought. To express this complete thought, we must have in the sentence a subject, a word or group of words naming the person or thing about which an assertion is made; and a predicate, a word or group of words which makes an assertion about the subject.

I. John | runs.

2. The captain of the track team | runs.

3. John runs a race for his school.

4. The captain of the track team | runs a race for his school.

In all these examples we have subjects and predicates. The subject or predicate or both may consist of one word or of a group of words. But in each sentence one complete thought is expressed.

In the following sentences we have subjects and predicates; but in examples 1 and 2, the subject is “under