“Somes, I hear from Mr. Buckman and Mr. Cobb that you have been doing very poorly in your studies of late, and my own observations bear out their report. What’s the trouble?”
Dick was silent, searching for a reply that would be at once truthful and not too self-incriminating.
“Maybe we made a mistake in putting you in the Second Senior Class. I was in doubt about the advisability of it at the time, you will remember. Perhaps you had better drop back a class. Does that appeal to you?”
“No, sir,” Dick answered with emphasis.
“But if the lessons are too hard for you?”
“They’re not, sir.”
“They’re not? Well, that’s a refreshing thing to hear, Somes. I’ve just been talking to several other boys and had begun to think that we were driving the students too hard here. Then you don’t find the lessons too difficult?”
“No, sir.”
“Then may I ask again what the trouble is? If they are not too difficult why can’t you learn them?”