t to the lesson which
he had to learn.

It was a lesson in grammar. Walter's mother took the book, and said, "I
fear my little boy finds it hard to put his thoughts on his lesson
to-day."

"Try me, mother," said Walter. "I will do my best."

"Then, I will put you a question which is not in the book," said mamma.
"Which is the heavier,--a pound of feathers, or a pound of lead?"

"A pound of lead, to be sure!" cried Walter confidently.

"There! you spoke then without thinking," said Mrs. Dane. "A little
thought would have made it clear to you that a pound is a pound, and
that a pound of feathers must weigh just as much as a pound of lead."

"When I spoke, I was thinking that Tom Burton was out in the yard
waiting for me," said Walter.

"Well, take your thoughts off from Tom Burton, and put them on the
question I am now about to ask you. What is a noun?"

"A noun is a word used as the name of any object."

"Very well. A noun, then, is a name-word."

"But why is not every word a name-word just the same?" asked Walter.

"Different sorts of words have different uses," said Mrs. Dane. "If I
say, '_Walter, come here_,' by the word _Walter_, I name an object or
person; and it is therefore a name-word, or noun. _Noun_ means _name_.
By the word _come_, I tell Walter what to do; and therefore _come_ is a
different sort of word from a name-word. _Come_ is a verb. By the word
_here_, I tell Walter _where_ he must come; and so _here_ is a different
sort of word from both _Walter_ and _come_. _Here_ is an adverb."

"But, if I say '_Come_,' do I not name something?" asked Walter.

"You certainly do not. What thing do you name? _Come_ is not an object
or thing; _come_ is not a person. You cannot say, 'Give me a _come_,' or
'Let me see a _come_.'"

"But _dog_ is a name-word, and _tree_ is a name-word," cried Walter. "I
can say, 'Give me a dog,' 'Let me see a tree;' can I not?"

"You certainly can, my son," said Mrs. Dane.

"And sister, father, mother, sky, cloud, sun, moon, bread, butter,
horse, cow, book, picture, water, land, doll, cart, ball, bat, are all
name-words, or nouns; are they not, mother?"

"Yes: I think you begin to see now what a _noun_ is. And let me say one
thing more, and then you may run to see Tom Burton."

"What is it, mother?" inquired Walter.

"When your uncle gave you a box of mixed shells last winter, what did
you do with them?"

"I sorted them carefully, putting those of the same kind toge