THE CONNEXION OF IDEAS 111 



" ich zu taun I " " What does taun mean ? tell me 

 differently I " (as I thought she was evading a direct 

 answer). " funo I " " Nonsense I " " yes ! " "I 

 want to know what taun means ! " " when I don't 

 hear ! " " Nonsense ! ' when you don't hear ! ' 

 there is some letter wrong ! " " yes." " What 

 should it be ?"" b." " Taub ? " (= deaf), "yes." 



A week earlier I had explained " eyes " and " ears " 

 to her, and the meaning of blindness and deafness, and 

 yet could not make out why she was now using the 

 word " taub " in this connexion. 



" Did you mean that you did not understand me ? " 

 "no." " Then why did you say that ? " " ich er 



(rather reluctantly) ... or ..." " Well ? and 



what more ? " "I won't say 1 " " You won't tell 

 me ? " " yes 1 " The next day I returned to this 

 question, for I could not make out why she gave me 

 such answers, and made such excuses. She well knew 

 how determined I could be in the matter of " catechis- 

 ing," and that I will stand no " nonsense " when she 

 begins her little game of rapping " i I " the meaning 

 of which, she had once informed me, was " / won't 

 tell I " and the sequel to which I generally found to be 

 that she would put me off with any word that might 

 Just happen to come into her head. But why had this 

 remark occurred to her yesterday ? I wanted to get 

 to the bottom of it, so returning to the attack, said : 

 " Why wouldn't you tell me yesterday what water is 

 good for ? " "I thought of ear ! " " What has water 

 to do with ' ear ' ? " " water in ear horrid 1 " Here, 

 then, was the reason 1 In her very fear she had not 

 been able to bring forth her true answer for, owing 

 to me, the water had got into her ears and made this 

 lasting and unpleasant impression when she was being 

 bathedor when I threw her into a stream ! The 



