“Won’t you explain it to me, sir?”
“I have not time,” said Mr. Slocum. “Besides, I think it much better that you should find out for yourself.”
“It isn’t easy to get ahead of him,” thought Julius; “but when the class comes up, we’ll see how he’ll get off.”
To tell the truth, though he had got off for the time being, Mr. Slocum was rather disturbed in mind. He could not do the sum, and it was possible he would be called upon to explain it to the class. How should he conceal his ignorance? That was an important question.{132} He did not suspect that a trap had been laid for him, but supposed the question had been asked in good faith.
At length the time came, and the class were called upon to recite.
“Julius Taylor,” said the teacher, “you may go to the board and do the eleventh example.”
“I’ll try, sir,” said Julius.
He went up to the board and covered it with a confused mass of figures; finally bringing out the answer one hundred and eleven over eight hundred and forty-six.
“I haven’t got the same answer as the book, Mr. Slocum,” he said.
“You have probably made some mistake in the figures,” said the teacher.