judiciously. How is it
possible for a child to climb a ladder when not only the lower rounds,
but a great many more, are wanting? Nature makes no leaps, least of all
with children.

FRIEND. But did she not begin to climb the ladder at the bottom?

DOMINIE. By no means. She certainly never was able to reach the top. I
should say, rather, that she tumbled down head foremost. To speak
mildly, she began to climb in the middle; and even then you tried to
chase her up, instead of allowing her, carefully and quietly, to clamber
up one step at a time. Bring me your youngest daughter, Bessie, and I
will show you how I give a first lesson.

DOMINIE. Bessie, can you say your letters after me? so,--_c_, _d_, _e_,
_f_.

BESSIE. _c_, _d_, _e_, _f_.

DOMINIE. Go on,--_g_, _a_, _b_, _c_.

BESSIE. _g_, _a_, _b_, _c_.

DOMINIE. Once more: the first four again, then the next four. That's
right: now all the eight, one after the other, _c_, _d_, _e_, _f_, _g_,
_a_, _b_, _c_.

BESSIE. _c_, _d_, _e_, _f_, _g_, _a_, _b_, _c_.

DOMINIE. (_after repeating this several times_). That's good: now you
see you have learned something already. That is the musical alphabet,
and those are the names of the white keys on the piano-forte. Presently
you shall find them out, and learn to name them yourself. But, first,
you must take notice (I strike the keys in succession with my finger,
from the one-lined _c_ to the highest treble) that these sounds grow
higher and become sharper one after the other; and in this way (I
strike the keys from one-lined _c_ to the lowest bass) you hear that
the sounds grow lower and heavier. The upper half, to the right, is
called the treble; the lower half is the bass. You quite understand now
the difference between the high sharp tones and the low deep ones? Now
we will go on. What you see here, and will learn to play upon, is called
the key-board, consisting of white keys and black ones. You shall
presently learn to give the right names both to the white keys and the
black; you see there are always two black keys and then three black keys
together, all the way up and down the key-board. Now put the fore-finger
of your right hand on the lower one of any of the two black keys that
are together, and let it slip off on to the white key next below it; now
you have found the key called _c_; what is the name of the next key
above it? Say the whole musical alphabet.

BESSIE. _c_, _d_, _e_, _f_, _g_, _a_, _b_, _c_.

DOM