Page:Chetyates00yateiala.pdf/50

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and sometimes I might forget, or just be careless, and do it wrong without thinking, and not notice my mistake, or know what was the matter when the example wouldn't come out right. You see what I mean by 'unlearning' the wrong way, don't you? I don't know any other word to use."

"I do," said I.

"What is it?"

"Forget it."

"Wh-what? Are you trying to be funny, Chet?" Bess's voice was accusing.

"No. I mean what I said. To learn a thing is to understand and remember it, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then to 'unlearn' it, is to forget it, isn't it?"

"Oh, oh!" cried Bess, clapping her hands together, in her soft little way. "That is fine, Chet; perfectly fine! To unlearn it is to understand that it is wrong, and forget it. Oh, that helps me such a lot!"

I looked at Bess and shook my head. I couldn't, for the life of me, make out what she was driving at. She had just "supposed" something about learning her arithmetic wrong; and we had fol-