Under the fence squeezed the Brownies. They wanted to read a great golden sign over the school-house door.
THIS SCHOOL OPEN FROM
NINE UNTIL SIX O’CLOCK
Sweet-Tooth read the sign aloud and would have tumbled to the ground in his surprise if Silvertongue and Kindheart had not caught him by the arm.
‘That means all day!’ gasped Sweet-Tooth. ‘They have to go to school all day!’
Through the school-house window they could see the heads of the children, little brown and yellow and black heads, both curly and straight. Indeed one little red head lay on the window-sill, fast asleep.
‘Tired out, and no wonder,’ murmured Silvertongue, which was a very harsh speech for him.
Out of the window floated the voices of the children droning sleepily over and over again—
‘Two times one are two,
Two times two are four,
Two times three are six.’