“That was the schoolmaster’s doings,” said Tom. “I thought myself it was almost too difficult a piece; but he told us to get something good while we were at it, and something it would pay us to remember, so we chose ‘Hamlet.’ We give something almost every year, you see. Last year we gave the trial scene from ‘Pickwick Papers,’ but the folks here didn’t seem to see the fun in it. They took it all in sober earnest, and never laughed from the beginning to the end. So this year we thought we’d try something in the tragedy line.”
“Where do you get all the books you read, Tom?” inquired Bob.
“Some of them are in our school library and some the minister lends to us. We don’t have very much besides history. I’m grateful to you,” he added, turning to Bert as he spoke, “for hearing me speak my part up in the camp. It did me a sight of good.”
“Don’t mention it,” said Bert, hurriedly.
Tom’s reading had become a serious matter with our boys. His attainments had been so unlooked for, and, as far as the solid work was concerned, he had done so much more than they, that no one was inclined to belittle him now, no matter how much the young boatman’s lack of familiarity with the manners and customs of “city folks” had impressed them upon their arrival at the camp.
“Heow was it? Pooty fair, I judge,” said Ethan, who now approached the group, asking and answering his own question at the same time.
“The young people are to be congratulated upon the serious study they have given Shakespeare’s masterpiece,” said Mr. Clarke, before any of the boys could reply.
“Glad to hear ye say it,” responded Ethan, who, in spite of his apparent contempt for Tom’s studies, was nevertheless interested far more deeply than he cared to show. “I don’ know much abeout sech things myself,” he continued. “I never read one o’ Dickens’s plays, nor Shakespeare’s neither, for that matter. I had to work fur a livin’ in my young days; but Tom here, he has lots o’ time, and he jist keeps his nose in a book pretty much all winter. What d’ye think o’ it? Will it do him any harm?” he inquired of Mr. Clarke, somewhat anxiously.
“Not a bit, not a bit,” replied Mr. Clarke, cordially. “In fact, I think I know of some young people who might profit by his example.”