t he managed to repeat the Latin words
straightforward, and after a while pick them out when asked. Then the
monk proceeded to get out his colours so as to ornament the big initial
letter of what Alfred had learned in Latin as well as in English was
"The History of the Good King Almon."

Then came the most interesting part of the lesson, for, after Swythe had
placed his colours ready--red, yellow, and blue--all in powders ground
up so fine that it was necessary to shut out the breeze which came in at
the window, Alfred learned how the monk made his brushes, by taking a
tuft of badger's hair and tying up one end carefully with a very fine
thread of flax.

"Now watch me," said the old man, and Alfred looked closely while Swythe
took a duck's quill out of a bunch, cut off the hollow part, and then
lightly cut off the end where it had grown from the duck's wing. Then
the tuft of badger's hair was held by its tied end and passed through
the monk's lips so as to bring the hairs together to a point, which was
carefully pushed into the most open part of the quill and screwed round
till the whole of the tuft was inside. Then a thrust with a thin piece
of wood sent the hairs right through, all but the tied-up ends; and
Swythe held his work up in triumph--a complete little paint-brush.

"How clever!" cried the boy eagerly; "but how did you get that badger's
hair?"

"Saved," said Swythe, "when the dogs killed that badger last year."

"And the ducks' quills?"

"I picked them up when the ducks were plucked by the scullion."

"You did not tell me how you made that black paint."

"By holding a piece of slate over the burning wick of the lamp till
there was plenty of soot to be scraped off and mixed up with gum water
made from plum-tree gum, the same as I am going to use to mix up these
colours, you see."

As he spoke Swythe took a clean mussel-shell and placed in it a tiny
portion of scarlet powder.

"That's a pretty colour!" said the boy. "What is it?"

"The colour made by burning some quicksilver and brimstone together in a
very hot fire till it is red, and afterwards I grind it up into fine
dust. Now," he said, "I'm going to mix this up with gum; and then we'll
paint all the back of the parchment behind the big letter red."

Alfred watched the monk's clever touches with the point of his little
brush till there was a great square patch upon which the letter seemed
to stand.

"Beautiful!" cried Alfred. "Now it's