“O yes,” answered Lucy; and she put the parcel into Miss Anne’s hands.
Miss Anne, who understood the convolutions of a knot better than Lucy, and who consequently knew just where to attempt to open it, soon got it loosened. Lucy watched her, afraid that she would open it too much.
“There,” said she, “Miss Anne, there, that will do. I can open it now.”
So Miss Anne put the parcel into her hands, and Lucy now succeeded in untying the knot. After taking off the string, she opened the paper, and there came out a handsome slate, of a beautiful purple color, and a red morocco frame.
“O, what a pretty slate!” said Lucy.
Near one corner of the slate was a sort of socket, made by a duplicature of the morocco, and Lucy observed a slate pencil sticking into it. She pulled it out, and said,—
“O, here is a pencil; I mean to mark on my slate.”
“I expect you are going to study arithmetic,” said Miss Anne.
“Yes,” said Royal, “she is, and I am going to teach her.”
“No,” said Lucy, “I would rather have Miss Anne to teach me.”