that he had received on an average about a dollar and twenty-five
cents per day.

"That's better than sellin' papers alone," thought he. "Besides, Tim
isn't likely to come across me here. I wonder I didn't think of
settin' up for myself before!"

In the evening he spent an hour, and sometimes more, pursuing his
studies, under the direction of Florence. At first his attention was
given chiefly to improving his reading and spelling, for Dodger was
far from fluent in the first, while his style of spelling many words
was strikingly original.

"Ain't I stupid, Florence?" he asked one day, after spelling a word of
three syllables with such ingenious incorrectness as to convulse his
young teacher with merriment.

"Not at all, Dodger. You are making excellent progress; but sometimes
you are so droll that I can't help laughing."

"I don't mind that if you think I am really gettin' on."

"Undoubtedly you are!"

"I make a great many mistakes," said Dodger, dubiously.

"Yes, you do; but you must remember that you have taken lessons only a
short time. Don't you think you can read a good deal more easily than
you did?"