The Crofton Boys | Page 6

when he hoped Mr. Tooke would not observe who sat between Agnes and his father. But the very first thing his father did was to pull his head back by the hair behind, and ask him whether he had persuaded Mr. Tooke to tell him all about the Crofton boys.
Hugh did not wish to make any answer; but his father said "Eh?" and he thought he must speak; so he said that Phil had told him all he wanted to know about the Crofton boys.
"Then you can get Mr. Tooke to tell you about Phil, if you want nothing else," said Mr. Proctor.
Mr. Tooke nodded and smiled; but Hugh began to hand plates with all his might, he was so afraid that the next thing would be a question how much four times seven was.
The dinner went on, however; and the fish was eaten, and the meat, and the pudding; and the dessert was on the table, without any one having even alluded to the multiplication-table. Before this time, Hugh had become quite at his ease, and had looked at Mr. Tooke till he knew his face quite well.
Soon after dinner Mr. Proctor was called away upon business; and Hugh slipped into his father's arm chair, and crossed one leg over the other knee, as he leaned back at his leisure, listening to Mr. Tooke's conversation with his mother about the sort of education that he considered most fit for some boys from India, who had only a certain time to devote to school-learning. In the course of this conversation some curious things dropped about the curiosity of children from India about some things very common here;--their wonder at snow and ice, their delight at being able to slide in the winter, and their curiosity about the harvest and gleaning, now approaching. Mr. Proctor came back just as Mr. Tooke was telling of the annual holiday of the boys at harvest-time, when they gleaned for the poor of the village. As Hugh had never seen a corn-field, he had no very clear idea of harvest and gleaning; and he wanted to hear all he could. When obliged to turn out of the arm-chair, he drew a stool between his mother and Mr. Tooke: and presently he was leaning on his arms on the table, with his face close to Mr. Tooke's, as if swallowing the gentleman's words as they fell. This was inconvenient; and his mother made him draw back his stool a good way. Though he could hear very well, Hugh did not like this, and he slipped off his stool, and came closer and closer.
"And did you say," asked Mr. Proctor, "that your youngest pupil is nine?"
"Just nine;--the age of my own boy. I could have wished to have none under ten, for the reason you know of. But----"
"I wish," cried Hugh, thrusting himself in so that Mr. Tooke saw the boy had a mind to sit on his knee,--"I wish you would take boys at eight and a quarter."
"That is your age," said Mr. Tooke, smiling and making room between his knees.
"How did you know? Mother told you."
"No; indeed she did not,--not exactly. My boy was eight and a quarter not very long ago; and he----"
"Did he like being in your school?"
"He always seemed very happy there, though he was so much the youngest. And they teased him sometimes for being the youngest. Now you know, if you came, you would be the youngest, and they might tease you for it."
"I don't think I should mind that. What sort of teasing, though?"
"Trying whether he was afraid of things."
"What sort of things?"
"Being on the top of a wall, or up in a tree. And then they sent him errands when he was tired, or when he wanted to be doing something else. They tried too whether he could bear some rough things without telling."
"And did he?"
"Yes, generally. On the whole, very well. I see they think him a brave boy now."
"I think I could. But do not you really take boys as young as I am?"
"Such is really my rule."
It was very provoking, but Hugh was here called away to fish up Jane's work out of the water-butt. As he had put it in, he was the proper person to get it out. He thought he should have liked the fun of it; but now he was in a great hurry back, to hear Mr. Tooke talk. It really seemed as if the shirt-collar was alive, it always slipped away so when he thought he had it. Jane kept him to the job till he brought up her work, dripping and soiled. By that time tea was ready,--an early tea, because Mr. Tooke had to go away. Whatever was said at tea was about politics, and about a