med as though he could say,
"Well, what now, Master Fritz?--what new scheme is this in thy wise
head?"

Fritz understood him well, or thought he did so, which in such cases
comes pretty much to the same thing; and so, without more ado, he opened
his explanation, which perhaps, after all, was meant equally for himself
as the Starling--at least I hope so, for I suspect he comprehended it
better.

He told him that for a long time his education had been grossly
neglected; that having originally been begun upon a wrong principle, the
great function of his teacher had been to eradicate the evil, and, so to
say, to clear the soil for the new and profitable seed. The ground, to
carry out the illustration, had now lain long enough in fallow--the time
had arrived to attend to its better culture.

It is more than probable Fritz had never heard of the great controversy
in France upon the system of what is called the "Secondary Instruction,"
nor troubled his head on the no less active schism in our own country
between the enemies and advocates of National Education. So that he has
all the merit, if it be one, of solving a very difficult problem for
himself without aid or guidance; for he resolved that a religious
education should precede all other.

"Now for it," said he, at the close of a longer exposition of his
intentions than was perhaps strictly necessary, "now for it, Starling!
repeat after me--'Maria, Mutter Gottes, huelf uns!'"

The bird looked up in his face with an arch drollery that almost
disconcerted the teacher. If a look could speak, that look said, as
plainly as ever words could,--

"Why don't you ask me to say the whole Litany, Fritz?"

"Ay, ay," replied Fritz, for it was a reply, "I know that's a great deal
to learn all at once, and some of the words are hard enough, too; but
with time, Star, time and patience--I had to use both one and the other
before I learned to read; and many a thing that looks difficult and
impossible even at first, seems quite easy afterwards. Come, then, just
try it: begin with the first word--'Maria'."

It was in vain Fritz spoke in his most coaxing accents, in vain did he
modulate the syllables in twenty different ways; all his entreaties and
petting", all his blandishments and caresses, were of no avail, Star
remained deaf to them all. He even turned his back at last, and seemed
as if no power on earth should make a Christian of him. Fritz had had
too much experience of the eff