'Why, I suppose I may look at Ada's slate, though you must not,' said
Claude, laughing to himself at poor little honest simplicity, as he
applied himself to cut a new point to her very stumpy slate-pencil,
and she scampered away, and returned in a moment with her clean
slate.

'Oh, how nice and fresh it all looks!' said she as he set down the
clear large figures. 'I cannot think how you can do it so evenly.'

'Now, Phyl, do not let the pencil scream if you can help it.'

Claude found that Phyllis's great difficulty was with the farthings.
She could not understand the fractional figures, and only knew thus
far, that 'Emily said it never meant four.'

Claude began explaining, but his first attempt was far too
scientific. Phyllis gave a desponding sigh, looking so mystified,
that he began to believe that she was hopelessly dull, and to repent
of having offered to help her; but at last, by means of dividing a
card into four pieces, he succeeded in making her comprehend him, and
her eyes grew bright with the pleasure of understanding.

Even then the difficulties were not conquered, her addition was very
slow, and dividing by twelve and twenty seemed endless work; at
length the last figure of the pounds was set down, the slate was
compared with Adeline's, and the sum pronounced to be right. Phyllis
capered up to the kitten and tossed it up in the air in her joy, then
coming slowly back to her brother, she said with a strange, awkward
air, hanging down her head, 'Claude, I'll tell you what--'