88 LOLA 



opinion until I had tested her with higher numbers, 

 and should be in a position to discount the possibility 

 of accident. 



On the third day after the preliminary counting 

 I got as far as ten by means -of questions, and ten 

 seemed for some days to be the limit set calling on me 

 to halt, as it were. This notion led me to teach the 

 dog addition first so as by this means to get over the 

 simple questions as to the numbers, which were always 

 given correctly. 



All this I found quite easy to do, either using my 

 fingers or using lumps of sugar for my purpose ; I 

 was at the same time careful to speak very distinctly 

 and to use as few complicated phrases as possible. 

 I would say, for instance, " Look here ! two fingers 

 and two fingers are i 2 3 4 fingers ! " But soon 

 she ceased to follow with her eyes, so that I became 

 disheartened and thought I had gone ahead too 

 rapidly, or, had not roused sufficient interest ; not 

 waiting for the psychological moment, but seeking to 

 handle the sensitive mechanism of a sentient creature 

 too roughly. Yet surely this could not be so, for, 

 after all, I was but tentatively trying, and, indeed 

 it was open to me " to try " even if without con- 

 fidence ! I then said : " How much is two and five ? " 

 doing so without illustrating the question with my 

 fingers, and the dog rapped seven ! I felt a warm 

 thrill of delight, yet I controlled my joy and proceeded 

 with my questions, although at that moment I said 

 to myself : "A living creature has given you a 

 conscious answer ! " 



We now continued: " i and 3 ? " Answer : " 4." " 2 

 and 6 ? " Answer : "8." This seemed to me 

 enough for one day, and I allowed her to scamper off 

 with a reward for her diligence ; then I sat and 



