igures of Noun. A
_pretty_, _nice_, _curious_ cape--"

"An _absurd_, _ridiculous_, _preposterous_ cap," added Dick.

"Observe," said Adjective with a courteous air, "that I arrange my words
in three rows, one above another, which I call _degrees of
comparison_--_positive_, _comparative_, _superlative_."

"I see, I see," exclaimed Dick; "here's a bonnet, _frightful_--that's
positive; another _more frightful_--that's comparative; and this with
the superlative yellow tuft, I should call the _most frightful_ of all.
So, Nelly's clever--that's positive--"

"I don't think so," murmured Nelly.

"Matty's cleverer--that's comparative."

Matty laughed.

"And I am superlatively clever--without doubt the _cleverest_ of all!"

"In your own opinion," growled Lubin.

Nelly wandered on to the next stall, which was kept by the maiden
Pronoun. Though smaller in size, she was so much like her sister Noun as
to be frequently taken for her. As it was a trouble to stout Noun to go
far or move fast, she very often sent Pronoun upon various errands in
her stead. Pronoun sold not many words; such as she had were mere
pictures of such as were kept by her sister. _I_, _thou_, _he_, _she_,
and _it_, and some others which we need not stop to enumerate.

"Here's a famous big stall!" exclaimed Dick, stopping in front of
Verb's, which was a very remarkable one, being covered with clock-work
figures all in motion. One could see by them what it is to _plough_, to
_sow_, to _reap_, to _work_, to _weep_, and to _dance_. The counter of
Verb was almost as extensive as that of her sister Noun.

"How do you make all these things move?" said Dick with some curiosity
to Verb.

"I _conjugate_ them; that is, wind them up," she replied, showing a
small brass key.

"Is it easy to conjugate them?" asked the boy.

"Easy enough with the _regular_ words," replied Verb, "but a good many
of mine are quite _irregular_ in their construction, and it is hard to
conjugate them."

"And if one conjugate them carelessly, I suppose," said Dick, "that
there would be a great crack or whiz, and the whole affair would go to
smash."

"Oh, don't stop there asking such questions!" cried Lubin; "I'm heartily
tired of this stupid bazaar--and if you go on so slowly, we shall never
get to the end!"

"I like to understand things," said Dick; "there's a great deal to
attract one's attention in this curious counter of Verb."

"Adverb, who keeps the next one," observed N