Rollo stood silent a minute,—he perceived that he had done wrong, and was sorry. He did not know how he could find Jonas in the woods, but he did not say any thing about that then. He only asked his mother what he must do for the half hour. She said he must read a quarter of an hour, and the rest of the time he might do as he pleased.
So Rollo took his book, and went out and sat down upon the platform, and began to read aloud. When he had finished one page, which usually took a quarter of an hour, he went in to ask his mother what time it was. She looked at the clock, and told him he had been reading seventeen minutes.
“Is seventeen minutes more than a quarter of an hour, or not so much?” asked Rollo.
“It is more;—fifteen minutes is a quarter of an hour. Now you may do what you please till the other quarter has elapsed.”
Rollo thought he would go and read more. It is true he was tired; but he was sorry he had done wrong, and he thought that if he read more than he was obliged to, his mother would see that he was penitent, and that he acquiesced in his punishment.
So he went on reading, and the rest of the half hour passed away very quickly. In fact, his mother came out before he got up from his reading, to tell him it was time for him to go. She said she was very glad he had submitted pleasantly to his punishment, and she gave him something wrapped up in a paper.
“Keep this till you get a little tired of play, down there, and then sit down on a log and open it.”
Rollo wondered what it was. He took it gladly, and began to go. But in a minute he turned round and said,
“But how shall I find Jonas?”
“What is he doing?” said his mother.