Willy Flint blinked his eyelids at Bobby Bell for some minutes, and then, without looking to the right or left, started on a run through the drifts to the road and along the road eastward. The entire school stopped snowballing and watched him in dumb amazement. Just as he turned into the Flints' gate, a quarter of a mile away, Mr. Pollock came to the entry and rang the lamentable bell. Therefore Willy Flint was late, and had to do a strange sum, involving two men who exchanged commodities in such a manner as never ought to be done in this world.
Willy Flint sat, pretending to do this sum, on the seat behind the stove, because he was an imp, and Mr. Pollock wished to keep an eye on him. The scholars on the back seats were good but cold; those in between were middling. Angelica Bertina was reciting geography, which she did very well. I suppose it practised her memory to remember her name. When one can say Angelica Bertina and the other names easily, it helps one out with Liberia and Porto Rico.
Willy Flint looked at Mr. Pollock, who looked at him, and asked Angelica about the products of Liberia. Willy Flint sighed despondently and drew spindle-legged people on his slate. Angelica stated the products of Liberia to be coffee, ivory, and rofia-palm fibre, and Mr. Pollock did not deny it, though of course rofia-palm fibre belongs with Madagascar and not with Liberia. He was wondering what Willy Flint was about to do.
Angelica saw his abstracted eye and went on, "Arrowroot, sugar, chewing-gum."
Here Moses Durfey giggled and Mr. Pollock started.
"What's that?"
"Cotton," said Angelica, "cocoa, oranges, and lemons."
"Ah," said Mr. Pollock. "Correct."
And Willy Flint looked more cheerful.