The dinner went on, however; and the fish was eaten, and the meat, and the pudding; and the dessert was on the table, without any one having even alluded to the multiplication-table. Before this time, Hugh had become quite at his ease, and had looked at Mr Tooke till he knew his face quite well.
Soon after dinner Mr Proctor was called away upon business; and Hugh slipped into his father’s arm-chair, and crossed one leg over the other knee, as he leaned back at his leisure, listening to Mr Tooke’s conversation with his mother about the sort of education that he considered most fit for some boys from India, who had only a certain time to devote to school-learning. In the course of this conversation some curious things dropped about the curiosity of children from India about some things very common here;—their wonder at snow and ice, their delight at being able to slide in the winter, and their curiosity about the harvest and gleaning, now approaching. Mr Proctor came back just as Mr Tooke was telling of the annual holiday of the boys at harvest-time, when they gleaned for the poor of the village. As Hugh had never seen a corn-field, he had no very clear idea of harvest and gleaning; and he wanted to hear all he could. When obliged to turn out of the arm-chair, he drew a stool between his mother and Mr Tooke: and presently he was leaning on his arms on the table, with his face close to Mr Tooke’s, as if swallowing the gentleman’s words as they fell. This was inconvenient; and his mother made him draw back his stool a good way. Though he could hear very well, Hugh did not like this, and he slipped off his stool, and came closer and closer.
“And did you say,” asked Mr Proctor, “that your youngest pupil is nine?”
“Just nine;—the age of my own boy. I could have wished to have none under ten, for the reason you know of. But—”
“I wish,” cried Hugh, thrusting himself in so that Mr Tooke saw the boy had a mind to sit on his knee,—“I wish you would take boys at eight and a quarter.”
“That is your age,” said Mr Tooke, smiling and making room between his knees.
“How did you know? Mother told you.”
“No; indeed she did not,—not exactly. My boy was eight and a quarter not very long ago; and he—”
“Did he like being in your school?”
“He always seemed very happy there, though he was so much the youngest. And they teased him sometimes for being the youngest. Now you know, if you came, you would be the youngest, and they might tease you for it.”