The Crofton Boys | Page 6

his forehead took the right turn at once,
she gave him a kiss in the very middle of it, and said she knew he
would be a good boy before the gentleman from the country.
Hugh would not go in with Agnes, because he knew Mr. Tooke would
shake hands with her, and take notice of any one who was with her. He
waited in the passage till Susan carried in the fish, when he entered
behind her, and slipped to the window till the party took their seats,
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