rning to me entreatingly. "Manage to make some excuse for his not
seeing me till later in the day."

I promised to find the excuse--all the more readily, that I now saw an
unexpected chance of reconciling her in some degree (so long as she was
learning to see) to the blank produced in her life by Oscar's absence.

She addressed herself again to Grosse.

"Go on!" she said impatiently. "Teach me to be something better than an
idiot--or put the bandage on, and blind me again. My eyes are of no use
to me! Do you hear?" she cried furiously, taking him by his broad
shoulders and shaking him with all her might--"my eyes are of no use to
me!"

"Now! now! now!" cried Grosse. "If you don't keep your tempers, you
little spitfire, I will teach you nothing." He took up the sheet of paper
and the pen-wiper; and, forcing her to sit down, placed them together
before her, in her lap.

"Do you know one thing?" he went on. "Do you know what is meant by an
objects which is square? Do you know what is meant by an objects which is
round?"

Instead of answering him, she appealed indignantly to my opinion.

"Is it not monstrous," she asked, "to hear him put such a question to me
as that? Do I know round from square? Oh, how cruelly humiliating! Don't
tell Oscar! don't tell Oscar!"

"If you know," persisted Grosse, "you can tell me. Look at those two
things in your lap. Are they both round? or both square? or is one round?
and the odder square? Look now, and tell me."

She looked--and said nothing.

"Well?" continued Grosse.

"You put me out, standing there staring at me through your horrid
spectacles!" she said irritably. "Don't look at me, and I will tell you
directly."

Grosse turned his head my way, with his diabolical grin; and signed to me
to keep watch on her, in his place.

The instant his back was turned, she shut her eyes, and ran over the
paper and the pen-wiper with the tips of her fingers!

"One is round and one is square," she answered, cunningly opening her
eyes again, just in time to bear critical inspection when Grosse turned
round towards her once more.

He took the paper and the pen-wiper out of her hands; and (thoroughly
understanding the trick she had played him) changed them for a bronze
saucer and a book. "Which is round? and which is square of these?" he
asked, holding them up before her.

She looked first at one, and then at the other--plainly incapable (with
only her eyes to help her) of answering