He spoke this in a tone of great satisfaction and pleasure, and jumped down, and went away to Lucy.
During all this time, Lucy had been standing near the board table, looking at Rollo and his father with a countenance expressive of great concern. She now, however, appeared very much relieved, and she proposed, in a whisper, that they should go out and ask her aunt to lend them some pencils. Accordingly Rollo went and got them in that manner, without any difficulty.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE THEORY OF INTERRUPTION.
Rollo did not interrupt his father but once more that evening. That happened in the following manner: Rollo agreed to be Lucy’s scholar, and she was to teach him to draw. So she began to set him a copy. She drew a row of figures, in a line along the top of the paper, and Rollo was to imitate them by making similar drawings below. The first drawing was the figure of a dog, the second of a hat; the third was a pair of tongs, and the last a mouse. Lucy said that they were not very good, but that they were as good as she could make.
Rollo set himself at work to copying them. But he said that he meant to begin with the hat, which was the second picture; for he said the dog was too hard for him.
“O no,” said Lucy; “you must begin at the beginning, and proceed regularly.”
“No,” said Rollo; “I’ll do the hat first, and then the dog.”
“There’s an interruption,” said Rollo’s father; and he took up the paper, and made a mark.
“Why, father!” said Rollo.