Jacob was desired to walk in. He stood in the hall, hat in hand, watching the door of the drawing-room, through which Susan had intimated May would appear. As soon as she saw him she ran forward and took both of his hands, pleasure beaming on her countenance. He stooped down and kissed her.
“Are you ready to come with me, Maidy May?” he asked; “you don’t want to stop away from us with the ladies here, do you?”
“Oh, no, no, Jacob!” answered May, holding him tightly by the hand; “I don’t want to leave father or mother or you; I will go back with you as soon as you like.”
Miss Mary overheard the latter part of the conversation as she followed May out of the drawing-room.
“I hear, my good lad, that you have been very kind to the little girl; and pray understand that we do not wish to rob you of her; and if we ask her to come up here, it will only be to help you in teaching her to read, as I understand you have been accustomed to do.”
“Please, ma’am, I am a very poor scholar,” answered Jacob; “but I do my best, and I shall be main glad if you will help me.”
Hand-in-hand May and Jacob set off to return home.
That evening Jacob might have been seen with the Bible before him, and May seated by his side, while he tried to help her to read. As the lamp fell on their countenances, the contrast between the fair, delicate-looking child and the big, strongly-built fisher-boy, with his well-bronzed, broad and honest face, would not have failed to be remarked by a stranger entering the room.
Jacob spelt out the words one by one, pronouncing them with his broad accent as he gained their meaning, while May followed him, imitating exactly the intonation of his voice. Sometimes she not only caught him up, but got ahead, reading on several words by herself, greatly to her delight.
“Ah, May! I see how it is,” said Jacob, with a sigh. “You will be quicker with your books than I ever shall be, and if the kind ladies at Downside wish to teach you, it’s not for me to say them nay; but I would that I had more learning for your sake, and I shall be jealous of them, that I shall, when I find that you can read off out of any book you have got as smoothly as you do the verses you have learned by rote. Oh, you will be laughing at me then.”