The Argosy — page 117: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Gwen. 105 engaged me as a coach,” he added, laughing. ‘I can allow no word except on the subject in hand, until the hour is up.” So Gwen had perforce to concentrate her mind on the task before her, but her knitted brows showed how difficult she found it, and the little impatient sighs that escaped her were quite pitiful. She looked so white and worried after awhile, that almost unconsciously he took to working out the sums for her, and this grew into a habit with him as the lessons went on. : For they did go on very regularly all through the term. On each half-holiday until the Easter vacation, did Mr. Dallas devote one hour of his precious leisure to his interesting, but by no means promising pupil And I don’t think he begrudged the sacrifice. For if Gwen was dull at figures she was very bright in other ways. Quite surprisingly alive, intellectually, for her age, Mr. Dallas decided. And.so the weeks slipped by, and the beautiful spring’ afternoons came round, when all nature seemed to invite our students out of doors. And yet both appeared very content to look upon the dainty snow-drops and gay crocuses in the Head-Master’s garden, through the diamond-paned windows of Gwen’s “den,” and to rejoice in the renewed beauty of earth and sky, over the Rule of Three and Practice. III. THE examination was over, and Gwen felt triumphant. To be sure, the arithmetic paper had bothered her at first, but she had dashed at it bravely, feeling that it was easier for her to take any fortress by storm than by a long and patient siege. So she had got through her paper quickly, and had indulged thereafter in a delicious day-dream, pitying the poor girls around her, who showed by their knitted brows how painfully they were plodding through their questions. *‘T hope it is all right,” she said to Mr. Dallas, when she met him later in the evening. ‘Oh, I couldn’t give you any account of the paper now,” she went on, in reply to a query of his as to its stiffness. T just went at it headlong, as one would go at an unavoidable five- barred gate ; and I think it is all right.” You should have taken plenty of time over it,” said Mr. Dallas, rather anxiously ; “sums can’t be guessed at, you know, like some other things.” **Oh, well, I think my paper was tolerable,” said Gwen. “At any rate, if I had pored over it for all the rest of the time, I don’t believe I should have done it one bit better; and I don’t see the good of bothering oneself over such dry things as figures more than one can help.” “How often must I remind you of the aim of all education?” exclaimed Mr. Dallas, in a half-humorous tone of exasperation. “Don’t you know that it is just the discipline which we a y need, VOL. XLIV. . ) comichooks.com