"Looks 's if 'twould pay ter be decent," he said, half aloud.

He was very quiet, and the teacher questioned if he were planning
mischief. The little pupils watched him, and wondered when his
restlessness would begin.

His teacher wondered, too, but Gyp kept his eyes on his book, and
appeared not to know that he was being watched.

For the first time since he had been forced to attend school, he had
a perfect spelling lesson.

He stumbled over every long word in the reading lesson, however, and
the problems in arithmetic puzzled him completely.

If the arithmetic had seemed easier he might not have appealed so
promptly to Aunt Judith for aid, but the young teacher was unable to
make it clear to him, and when evening came, he raced across the fields,
his book under his arm, and tapped at her door.

"Ah, you've come, Gyp!" she said, smiling at him encouragingly, "I
hoped you would."

"You said Wednesday and Saturday, an' this is only Tuesday, but I can't
get my lesson for termorrer 'less someone helps me," he said.

"There is no reason why you may not stay to-night," Aunt Judith said,
kindly, "and now tell me what it was that made the arithmetic so hard
today."