The next morning, Gloria, true to her promise, went down to the landing, where she found David sitting in the old boat, mending nets.
His face broke into a smile as he took off his hat and stood up to receive her.
“Good-morning, David Lindsay. Did you study your book last night?” she inquired, with childish frankness.
“Oh, yes, indeed! And I have brought the geography here with me to take a glimpse of it now and then; but it is such a temptation to slight my work, that I shall have to leave it home after this,” replied the lad, still standing, hat in hand.
“Oh, no, don’t you do that, David Lindsay! Please don’t! See, now, sit down and take up your netting and go on with it, and I will sit by and read the lessons out, and ask the questions at the bottom of the page, so you can tell if you know them.”
“Oh, yes, I shall like that; for then I can do my work and learn my lesson at the same time. How good you are to me. What makes you so good to me?”
“Why,” she said, opening her blue eyes wide and looking at him with surprise, “don’t you know? You are my playmate, and we are going to play school?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Now give me the book, David Lindsay, and sit down and go on with your netting. Now, how far had you got?” she inquired, when they were seated opposite each other in the old stranded boat.
“Up to ‘What is a cape?’”