ells Nebachodnazure, the king of the Jews.'

Now, Paddy, that's spelling Nebachodnazure by the science of
Ventilation; but you'll never go that deep, Paddy."--

"I want to go out, if you plase, sir."

"Is that the way you ax me, you vagabone?"

"I want to go out, sir,"--(pulling down the fore lock.)

"Yes, that's something dacenter; by the sowl of Newton, that invinted
fluxions, if ever you forgot to make a bow again, I'll nog the enthrils
out of you--wait till the Pass comes in."

Then comes the spelling lesson. "Come, boys, stand up to the spelling
lesson."

"Mickey," says one urchin, "show me your book, till I look at my word.
I'm fifteenth."

"Wait till I see my own."

"Why do you crush for?"

"That's my place."

"No, it's not."

"Sir, spake to---------I'll tell the masther."

"What's the matther there?"

"Sir, he won't let me into my place."

"I'm before you."

"No you're not."

"I say, I am."

"You lie, pug-face: ha! I called you pug-face, tell now if you dare."

"Well boys, down with your pins in the book: who's king?"

"I am, sir."

"Who's queen?"

"Me, sir."

"Who's prince?"

"I am prince, sir."

"Tag rag and bob-tail, fall into your places."

"I've no pin, sir."

"Well down with you to the tail----now, boys."*

* At the spelling lesson the children were obliged to
put down each a pin, he who held the first place got
them all with the exception of the queen--that is the
boy who held the second place! who got two; and the
prince, the third who got one. The last boy in the
class was called Bobtail.

Having gone through the spelling-task, it was Mat's custom to give out
six hard words selected according to his judgment--as a final test;
but he did not always confine himself to that. Sometimes he would put a
number of syllables arbitrarily together, forming a most heterogeneous
combination of articulate sounds.

"Now, boys, here's a deep word, that'll thry yez: come Larry
spell me-mo-man-dran-san-ti-fi-can-du-ban-dan-li-al-i-ty, or
mis-an-thro-po-mor-phi-ta-ni-a-nus-mi-ca-li-a-lioy;--that's too hard
for you, is it? Well, then, spell phthisic. Oh, that's physic you're
spellin'. Now, Larry, do you know the difference between physic and
phthisic?"

"No, sir."

"Well, I'll expound it: phthisic, you see, manes--whisht, boys: will
yez hould yer tongues there--phthisic, Larry, signifies--that is,
phthisic--mind, it's not physic I'm expounding, b