not to have, in any object of use or ornament, what would be a contradiction in fact. You don't walk upon flowers in fact; you cannot be allowed to walk upon flowers in carpets. You don't find that foreign birds and butterflies come and perch upon your crockery; you cannot be permitted to paint foreign birds and butterflies upon your crockery. You never meet with quadrupeds going up and down walls; you must not have quadrupeds represented upon walls. You must use," said the gentleman, "for all these purposes, combinations and modifications (in primary colors) of mathematical figures which are susceptible of proof and demonstration. This is the new discovery. This is fact. This is taste."

The girl curtseyed, and sat down.

She was very young, and she looked as if she were frightened by the matter-of-fact prospect the world afforded.

From "Hard Times."

Questions for Study

1. Why did Dickens name the schoolmaster Gradgrind? 2. How does the description of the first speaker nelp us to understand what he says?

3. Why does the author picture Sissy and Bitzer as opposite types?

4. If parts of plants are used in wallpaper or carpet designs, how should they be treated?