240 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



children, when you do not perfectly understand 

 what you read or hear, to have courage enough 

 to confess ^our ignorance, and to ask for ex 

 planation. 



" Before we finish the subject of Joseph," he 

 continued, " I will explain another small circum- 

 stance, of which perhaps Bertha at least may 

 not be aware. The ancient manner of eating 

 was for each person to have one or more dishes 

 to himself; they were all first set before the 

 master of the feast, who distributed to every one 

 his portion ; and as a mark of affection for Ben- 

 jamin, Joseph sent him five dishes, while he only 

 sent one to each of the others. In Persia arid 

 Arabia, every dish that is set before the master 

 of the house is divided into as many portions as 

 there are guests, but those of the greatest rank 

 have by far the largest shares. 1 ' 



. Mr. R -- , a friend of my uncle's, has 

 been here for a few days, and has amused us 

 very much. 



Yesterday he shewed us a Proteus kind of 

 substance ; it had at first a milky transparency, 

 and reflected a bluish white light, but when we 

 looked through it, it was yellow. He slightly 

 wetted it, and then it lost all transparency, appear- 

 ing like chalk. He immersed it completely in 

 water, and the edges became more transparent 

 than before, and at the same time a little gas 



