"I don't agree," I said. "Tom was trying to do a service to the others; you were all bored by a lesson, and Tom stepped in and took your attention. Unfortunately he also attracted the attention of Mr. Macdonald, but that has nothing to do with Tom's reason for doing it. Tom was the most unselfish of the lot of you; he showed more good than any of you."
"The mester didna think that!" said Tom, with a grin.
Peter Wallace carefully rolled a paper pellet and threw it at Tom.
"Now," I said with a smile, "let's think this out; why did Peter throw that pellet just now?"
"Because the class is bored," said a little girl, and there was a good laugh at my expense.
"Righto!" I laughed, "shall we do something else?" but the class shouted
"No!" and I proceeded.
"Peter, do tell us why you threw that pellet."
"For fun," said Peter, blushing and smiling.
"He did it so's the class wud look at him," said Tom Murray, and Peter hid his diminished head.
"A wise answer, Tom," I said; "but we are all like that; we all like to be looked at. Who is the best at arithmetic?"