"Come in a minute, Miss Gunn," said the schoolmaster, politely.
"I'm afraid it's no go Betsy," said Tom. "But if I should be lucky enough to scrape through at the tail end of the rest, I shall have to thank you for that place."
Betsy's brow darkened. "Do you mean to say Betsy would push you down to the last place?" she said.
"No, no; but if he gets a place at all, it will be you he will have to thank for it," said the schoolmaster, laughing.
Betsy looked from one to the other to see if they were making fun of her, as most of the village lads did.
But Tom said quickly, "It's true enough, Betsy. They set me to do some pruning and grafting, and I did it the way you showed me, while some of the fellows made a dreadful muddle of it. I did that part of the exam. well, I know, for the examiner told me so; that, you see, I may scramble through, thanks to your lesson."
Betsy nodded and went away. She had heard enough to satisfy her; the great gardeners at the college couldn't beat her dad's way of grafting, and she was content.
"I only hope this part of the examination will prove a help to you," said Mr. Murray. "It was wise of you, Tom, to accept her help, and learn all she could teach you, for I know nothing about pruning and grafting beyond what the books teach. But now sit down and have some tea; we cannot let you go until we have heard all about the papers that were set you."
So, between eating and talking, Tom did not get home until nearly eight o'clock. The children had gone to bed, but he was surprised to see his mother sitting up, with scarcely a spark of fire in the grate.
This part of the family economy, he had not been aware of until now, but he remembered to have seen it before, and he could only say,—