"Do you think he was afraid to come?" asked Bates.

"To be sure he was. He knew what to expect."

"Are you going to thrash him?" asked Johnson.

"I should say I might."

"He's a very good Latin scholar," remarked Wilkins.

"He thinks he is!" sneered Jim.

"So Mr. Crabb appears to think."

"That for old Crabb!" said Jim, contemptuously, snapping his
fingers. "He don't know much himself. I've caught him in plenty of
mistakes."

This was certainly very amusing, considering Smith's absolute
ignorance of even the Latin rudiments, but the boys around him did
not venture to contradict him.

"But it don't make any difference whether he knows Latin or not,"
proceeded Jim. "He has been impudent to me, and he shall suffer for
it. I was hoping to get a chance at him this recess, but it'll
keep."

"You might spoil his appetite for dinner," said Bates, who was
rather a toady to Jim.