Before the lesson was concluded, Oscar made still another mistake.
There was an allusion in the lesson to the great fire of 1885, by which
an immense amount of property in New York city was destroyed. When the
teacher asked him how many buildings were said to have been consumed,
he replied:

"Three hundred and fifty--five hundred and thirty--no, three hundred
and fifty."

"Which number do you mean?" inquired the master.

"I aint sure which it is," replied Oscar, after a moment's hesitation;
"it's one or the other, I don't know which."

"You are about as definite," said the teacher, "as the Irish recruit,
who said his height was five feet ten or ten feet five, he was n't
certain which. But are you _sure_ that the number of buildings burnt
was either three hundred and fifty, or five hundred and thirty?"

"Why--yes--I--believe--it was one or the other," replied Oscar,
hesitatingly.

"You _believe_ it was, do you? Well, I believe you know just nothing
about the lesson. You may go to your seat, and study it until you can
answer every question; and after school I will hear you recite it, and
remember, you will not go home until you _can_ recite it."

The class continued their recitation, and Oscar returned to his seat,
and commenced studying the lesson anew. It was already late in the