as three times as long as himself.

"This is a very curious and ingenious ladder," remarked Mr. Reading,
"and quite worthy of your closest observation. You see that on the
_under_ part of each step is a sentence quite perfectly spelt; but this,
of course, cannot be seen when the ladder is placed by a wall. On the
upper part appears the same sentence, but with many a blunder in it to
try your powers of recollection. You must study the ladder well before
you attempt to mount it, and get the right spelling fixed in your mind,
so as to make no mistakes. Then, before putting your foot upon any step,
you must spell the sentence upon it; if you correct every blunder, the
wood will be firm as a rock; but if you leave a single fault unnoticed,
one little letter misplaced, the step will give way under your weight,
and land you flat on the floor."

"What a horrible ladder!" exclaimed Lubin; "it seems to have been
expressly contrived to break the neck of every one who is so silly as to
mount it."

"It only needs care in the using," replied polite Mr. Reading, unable to
suppress a quiet smile; while Alphabet, who thought it a _capital_ joke,
burst into a loud laugh. "I confess that the ladder of Spelling has
been the cause of many a tumble; but still it is an excellent
ladder,--the trees of which it was made grew beside our own stream of
Bother."

"Any one might have guessed that!" muttered Lubin, rubbing his head with
a disconsolate air, as if he already felt the bumps produced by the
ladder of Spelling.

"Let's see these funny sentences on the steps," said Dick, "that we are
forced to spell so finely. Such a comical ladder as this will make the
papering of our walls a very slow affair."

As my readers may be curious to know whether they could have mounted the
ladder without any step breaking beneath them, I will give them a few of
the sentences to correct at their leisure. I write the faulty words in
italics, though I hope that it is not needful to do so.

I _hav to ants, too unkels to_,
The kindest _wons_ I ever _new_.

_Except_ this _presint, nevew deer_,
I am _sow_ glad to _here your hear_.

_Gals sow shurts_, and boys _sew beens_,
Labour is _scene_ in various _seens_.

I _eat ate appels_ at a _fate_,
Then took my _leve_ and _warked_ home _strait_.

The winds they _blue_; the sky was _blew_;
Tom, as they dashed the _oshon threw_,
_Write overbored_ a _poney through_.