“I went back to finish what I had begun to look up at New Year’s. You see, I felt troubled all through the autumn to feel that Rose wasn’t taking all the studies of her class—that she was omitting algebra and next year would omit geometry and so on. I came to the conclusion that there must be some method by which the blind learn mathematics, so as soon as I got a chance I went to a special school for the blind to find out. As a matter of fact, it’s not so difficult and I rather think I can start her towards algebra right away. I’ll show you the apparatus when Herbie has unpacked my things. It’s a shallow box that looks like diminutive pigeon holes and metal counters like the type you see in a printing office. You reckon, compute, and perform the various mathematical operations by manipulating these counters in the tiny squares. I hope to have Rose so expert in figuring with it that she will be ready to take up algebra in the fall.”
He paused and gazed at Betty with a look on his face she didn’t understand. As a matter of fact, it came to him as he spoke that now was the moment to lay the specter of those unpleasant three weeks at school. Since the experience couldn’t readily be forgotten, he was determined that it shouldn’t rankle.
“I wonder how you would feel in regard to my ability to carry this through, Betty?” he asked quizzically. “From your experience, do you think I might be fairly thorough and successful as a special teacher?”
It hurt, as he knew it must; but it helped also. Betty smiled tremulously.
“Very thorough, but—very good and lots more patient than you ought to be,” she declared.
“Would you advise my getting Tommy’s opinion?” he asked anxiously; and then Betty had to laugh. And thereafter it all seemed simple and natural and—different. For they hadn’t laughed together before since the New Year.
“Well, that isn’t all. There’s more yet,” he went on. “It seems that there are all sorts of books, including school books, printed so that they can be read through the tips of the fingers. I knew vaguely, of course, that there were books, but I didn’t somehow guess that they would have text-books. Those I knew about were like ours, only the letters were raised; but now there’s something else—a system called Braille, after its founder, a Frenchman, which is an alphabet made up of combinations of pin points. There are any number of text-books in this Braille type, reference books, standard histories and the like, and a very good selection of general literature. I have engaged one of the teachers at the school I visited to come here to spend the summer to teach Rose, and incidentally you and me, to read in that language. We’ll have lessons here every morning in the billiard-room or garden and in the afternoon the lady, Miss Bingham, will give Rose all sorts of other instruction—sewing and knitting and playing cards—and will help her with her music.”
Betty’s face was eloquent with the surprise and delight she couldn’t express. Meadowcroft recollected his meditation concerning the Indian cast of her features and smiled within himself.
“It sounds like magic!” the girl cried. And that reminding her of Tommy, she declared she thought he’d like to learn, too.
“Tommy will be very welcome, and I meant to give him a chance,” he said. “Only as he’ll only just be getting back to his own particular magic again when Miss Bingham arrives, it’s likely that he won’t be tempted. I knew you would want to learn, too; and if I didn’t want to learn it myself for the sake of helping Rose through the high school, I should be very glad to be able to read in bed on wakeful nights without lighting up. Rose can teach her mother, too, if Mrs. Harrow feels like learning.”