ee, calm
and satisfied.

"A German officer, who spoke French like a son of France,
demanded of her:--

"'Where are your soldiers?'

"She extended her thin arm towards the red heap of fire
which was gradually going out, and she answered with a
strong voice:--

"'There!'

"They crowded round her. The Prussian asked:--

"'How did it take fire?'

"She said:--

"'It was I who set it on fire.'"[24]

Topic Sentence.

Paragraphs are developments of a definite topic; and this topic is
generally announced at the beginning of the paragraph. In isolated
paragraphs, paragraphs that are indeed compositions in miniature, the
topic-sentence is the first sentence. The reader is then advised of
the subject of the discussion; and as sentence after sentence passes
him, he can relate it to the topic, and the thought is a cumulative
whole. If the subject be not announced, the individual sentences must
be held in mind until the reader catches the drift of the discussion,
or the author at last presents the topic.

Below are four paragraphs, from different forms of discourse, all
having the topic-sentence at the beginning.

"_But success or defeat was a minor matter to them, who had
only thought for the safety of those they loved._ Amelia, at
the news of the victory, became still more agitated even
than before. She was for going that moment to the army. She
besought her brother with tears to conduct her thither. Her
doubts and terrors reached their paroxysm; and the poor
girl, who for many hours had been plunged into stupor, raved
and ran hither and thither in hysteric insanity,--a piteous
sight. No man writhing in pain in the hard-fought field
fifteen miles off, where lay, after their struggles, so many
of the brave--no man suffered more keenly than this poor
harmless victim of the war. Jos could not bear the sight of
her pain. He left his sister in the charge of her stouter
female companion and descended once more to the threshold of
the hotel, where everybody still lingered, and talked, and
waited for more news."[25]

"_Yet the fact remains that the honey-bee is essentially a
wild creature, and never has been and cannot be thoroughly
domesticated._ Its proper home is the woods, and thither
every new swarm counts on going; and thither many do go in
spite o