"I would have liked to have let you play this morning with Remi and the dogs," she said, "but you cannot play until you know your lessons perfectly." With that she gave the book to Arthur and walked away, leaving him alone. From where I stood I could hear him crying. How could his mother, who appeared to love him so much, be so severe with the poor little fellow. A moment later she returned. "Shall we try again?" she asked gently. She sat down beside him and, taking the book, she began to read the fable called "The Wolf and the Sheep." She read it through three times, then gave the book back to Arthur and told him to learn it alone. She went inside the boat. I could see Arthur's lips moving. He certainly was trying very hard. But soon he took his eyes off the book; his lips stopped moving. His look wandered everywhere, but not back to his book. Suddenly he caught my eye; I made a sign to him to go on with his lesson. He smiled, as though to thank me for reminding him, and again fixed his eyes on his book. But as before, he could not concentrate his thoughts; his eyes began to rove from first one side of the canal to the other. Just then a bird flew over the boat, swiftly as an arrow. Arthur raised his head to follow its flight. When it had passed he looked at me. "I can't learn this," he said, "and yet I want to." I went over to him. "It is not very difficult," I said. "Yes, it is, it's awfully difficult." "It seems to me quite easy. I was listening while your mother read it, and I almost learned it myself." He smiled as though he did not believe it. "Do you want me to say it to you?" "You can't." "Shall I try? You take the book." He took up the book again, and I began to recite the verse. I had it almost perfect. "What! you know it?" "Not quite, but next time I could say it without a mistake, I believe." "How did you learn it?" "I listened while your mother read it, but I listened attentively without looking about to see what was going on round about me." He reddened, and turned away his eyes. "I will try, like you," he said, "but tell me, what did you do to remember the words?" I did not quite know how to explain, but I tried my best. "What is the fable about?" I said. "Sheep. Well, first of all, I thought of sheep; the sheep were in a field. I could see them lying down and sleeping in the field; picturing them so, I did not forget." "Yes, yes," he said, "I can see them, black and white ones! in a green field." "What looks after the sheep usually?" "Dogs." "And?..." "A shepherd." "If they thought the sheep were quite safe, what did they do?" "The dog slept while the shepherd played his flute in the distance with the other shepherds." Little by little Arthur had the entire fable pictured in his mind's eye. I explained every detail, as well as I was able. When he was thoroughly interested we went over the lines together and at the end of half an hour he had mastered it. "Oh, how pleased mamma will be!" he cried.