60 THE COUSINS.

“And now,” asked Mrs Butler, at length, ‘‘ can
you tell me what England is—whether it is a con-
tinent or—”

“Tt is an island,” answered Mary, without
waiting for the conclusion of the question.

“ And in what geography did you learn that ?”

“<I didn’t learn it in a geography.”

“In what, then?”

“In a map.”

A succession of questions followed, and here,
again, it was found that Mary had learned a great
deal of the situation of different places, the
boundaries and relative size of countries, and the
names of great rivers and high mountains, by
merely playing, as she considered it, with a map
at her mother’s feet. Great was Lucy’s surprise,
and, we fear, scarcely less great her dissatisfaction,
when she found Mary placed in the same class
with herself in geography. But a yet more mor-
tifying surprise awaited her; and when Mrs,
Butler said to Mary, ‘‘ You seem so well ac-
quainted with the History of the United States,
that I think I may place you with a higher class,
which has just commenced the History of Eng-