"Do you feel positive that you could do examples over here?" turning to "Evolution."
"Entirely," Edward answered, smiling at Mr. Burrows' doubts. Ray had been a thorough teacher.
So Mr. Burrows went away, and Edward took his seat on the stage and commenced the recitation. At first the boys were disposed to be wise, and display their knowledge; when they had known him last, he was in division. But he was in algebra now, or rather through it, and they speedily discovered that he seemed to have every example in the lesson committed to memory.
Meantime, Mr. Burrows returned, and listened with astonishment and delight.
"Thank you heartily," he said afterwards. "You ought to fit yourself for teaching. But, Edward, you did not get through algebra alone?"
"No," said Edward, flushing at the thought of Ray; "I had the best and wisest teacher on earth."
Well, he sat down in what had been his seat, and tried to imagine that it was his seat still; that Bob would be in pretty soon, and plague him while he studied his spelling-lesson. But he could not do it. "Things were different,"—very different. First and foremost, there was Ray: he had not known him in those days; if he had, he said to himself, things would have been different long before they were.
Going back up town he met Mr. Holbrook, who turned and walked with him.
"And so," he said, after the long talk was concluded, "you go next week, do you?"
"Next Tuesday, sir."