“I don’t,” said Gilbert, promptly. “I was only trying to give you an idea of what I knew.”
“Very well. Are you good in arithmetic?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How far have you been?”
“Through the book.”
“That is well. How do you write?”
“Shall I give you a specimen of my writing, sir?”
“Yes. Here is a pen. Write anything you like. You may copy the first three lines of this newspaper article.”
Gilbert did so.
“That will do very well. You don’t write rapidly enough, but you will in time. I shall get you a place as soon as possible. Where is your trunk?”