"Very well, sir," said Hector.

The class consisted of five boys, including Hector. Besides Jim
Smith, Wilkins, Bates and Johnson belonged to it. As twenty-five
lines had been assigned for a lesson, Hector had no difficulty in
preparing himself, and that in a brief time. The other boys were
understood to have studied the lesson out of school.

Bates read first, and did very fairly. Next came Jim Smith, who did
not seem quite so much at home in Latin poetry as on the playground.
He pronounced the Latin words in flagrant violation of all the rules
of quantity, and when he came to give the English meaning, his
translation was a ludicrous farrago of nonsense. Yet, poor Mr. Crabb
did not dare, apparently, to characterize it as it deserved.

"I don't think you have quite caught the author's meaning, Mr.
Smith," he said. By the way, Jim was the only pupil to whose name he
prefixed the title "Mr."

"I couldn't make anything else out of it," muttered Jim.

"Perhaps some other member of the class may have been more
successful! Johnson, how do you read it?"

"I don't understand it very well, sir."

"Wilkins, were you more successful?"

"No, sir."