the next evening she saw the three-legged stand loaded down with
Billy's and Mary's school books.

But as no one made her any reply, she quietly resumed her work,
appropriating to her own use the only tallow candle there was burning,
and leaving Billy and Mary to see as best they could by the firelight.
For some time Mary pored over her lesson in Colburn, but coming to the
question, "24 is 3/5 of how many times 10?" she stopped, unable to
proceed farther. Again and again she read it over, without gathering a
single idea, and was on the point of asking Billy to assist her, when
Sal, who had been watching her, said, "Let me take your book, child."

Mary did so, and then, as if conscious for the first time of Miss
Grundy's monopoly of the candle, Sal seized a large newspaper lying
near, and twisting it up, said, "Let there be light;" then thrusting
one end of it into the flames and drawing it out again, added, "and
there is light."

After tumbling over the leaves awhile, she continued, "No, they didn't
study this when I was young; but tell me what 'tis that troubles you."

Mary pointed to the problem, and after looking at it attentively a
moment, Sal said, "The answer to it is 4; and if you will give me some
little inkling of the manner in which you are taught to explain them
at school, perhaps I can tell you about that."

"It begins in this way," said Mary. "If 24 is 3/5 of some number, 1/5
of that number must be something or other, I don't know what."

"One third of 24 of course," said Sal.