"That's all in the air," said Norton. "You can read, I suppose, and write?"
"Yes, I can read and write. But then I haven't been to school in ever so long."
"Never mind that. If we go nine miles an hour, how far shall we have gone if we are out three hours and a half?"
Matilda answered this and several more puzzling questions with pretty prompt correctness.
"You'll do," said Norton. "I knew you were sharp. You can always tell whether a person has a head, by the way he takes hold of numbers." A partial judgment, perhaps; for Norton himself was very quick at them.
"Can you read any thing except English, Pink?" he went on.
"No, Norton."
"Never tried?"
"No, Norton. How could I try without being taught?"
"Of course," said Norton. "There's a jolly dog cart—isn't it? Mamma wants you to read a lot of things besides English, I can tell you."