The word “trust” caught Ambrose’s attention, and while his father went on talking he began to make all sorts of resolutions in his own mind. In this way he might show him what he could do, and regain his good opinion. He saw himself working so hard, and learning so fast, that Dr Budge would be struck with amazement. Nothing would be too difficult, no lesson too long. By the time they reached the doctor’s gate Ambrose was master of the Latin tongue, and receiving praise and admiration from all his relations.
But now he had to come back to reality and to face his new master, who was a very solid fact, and he walked in by his father’s side rather soberly. Everything was quite new and strange, for he had never been inside the cottage before.
They were shown straight into the study where the doctor sat at work. It was a long low room with a window at each end, one of which looked into the road and one into the little garden. The walls were lined with shelves, but there was not nearly enough room in them for the books, which had overflowed everywhere, on the table, on the chairs, on the window-seat, and on the floor, where they stood in great piles on each side of the doctor. He seemed to be quite built in with books as he sat at his writing, and rose from among them with difficulty to greet his visitors, stumbling as he advanced to shake hands.
Ambrose noticed with awe that he looked bigger indoors, and that his head almost touched the low ceiling when he stood upright.
“This is Ambrose,” said the vicar, “your future pupil.”
Ambrose held out his hand, but the doctor took no notice of it. He put one large finger under the boy’s chin and turned his face upwards.
“Shall we make a scholar of you?” he asked in a deep voice.
Ambrose blinked helplessly up into the broad face so high above him, as much dazzled and confused as though he had been trying to stare at the sun.
His father laughed. “You will find him very ignorant, I fear,” he said; “but I think he will be industrious.”
“We shall see, we shall see,” said the doctor, and his small eyes twinkled kindly. “By the way,” he said, suddenly turning from Ambrose and lifting a great volume from the pile on the floor, “here is the passage I spoke of the other day.”