“What is all this mystery? What are you doing in here?” asked Harry, crossly.
“I am helping William with his studies,” said Annie.
Upon this her promising pupil grew blue with suppressed laughter, and Harry’s manner got more and more unpleasant.
“Oh, I should have thought you had had enough of schoolroom work! However, since you haven’t, and I’m not too proud to take a lesson, you shall give me one, too,” and he flung himself into a chair with an uncompromising surliness which was not encouraging to a teacher.
Taking no further notice of him, Annie proceeded with her dictation.
“Lorsque Telemaque et ses compagnons—virgule——”
“Oh, confound your French!” growled Harry.
And William burst into a roar of laughter; while Annie, seeing that her amiable husband had started up with evil intentions toward her pupil, made signs to the latter to leave the room, which he did, exploding again as soon as he got outside the door.
“Why do you encourage that donkey to take up your time?” asked Harry, when he had exhausted all the offensive epithets at his command on his youngest brother.
“I am very fond of William,” said Annie, quietly. “It was I who first encouraged him to study; and now it is a great pleasure to me to help him.”