“What!” exclaimed the captain, in surprise, “don’t you understand addition? Why, Tom, what good did it do you to go to school? Didn’t you study arithmetic?”
“O, yes, I did; but it was too hard. Let me do something else. I can’t add figures.”
“Then you are of no earthly use to me,” said the captain. “Mr. Robson,” he added, raising his voice, “send White here.”
This was a turn of events that Tom had not expected. He knew that the captain intended to give Bob the position, and he could not bear the thought of seeing the one he so thoroughly hated placed so far above him.
“Captain,” he whined, “can’t I do something else besides add figures?”
“No,” was the answer. “I only wanted you to do my writing and ciphering.”
“O, I can’t do such work as that. It’s too hard. I might as well go to school and be done with it. Let me do something else.”
“I have nothing else for you to do,” repeated the captain. “And now, let me give you another piece of advice. When you get home again, go to work at your books, and learn all you can. Above all, stop that bad habit of saying ‘I can’t.’”
“What shall I say, then?” asked Tom. “When I say that I can’t do a thing, I mean it, and there’s no use of—”
“Here you are!” interrupted the captain, turning to Bob White, who at that moment entered the cabin. “Can you add figures?”