The second bench held three girls and two boys, who resembled in many particulars those on the first bench. On number three I recognized, to my great joy, Ned Cheyleigh and Lulie Mayland, and to my annoyance Frank Paning. Before we had concluded our interchange of whispered salutations, father rose and said to Miss Hester:
“I will now leave him with you. He is a good boy and easy enough to manage, though a little inclined to mischief.”
“Oh, I will take care of that,” she said. “We will be first rate friends; won’t we, Johnnie?”
Father left me, the door closed on him, and I was beginning to enter Life’s shallowest waters alone.
“Come here, Johnnie,” said Miss Hester, “let me see how much you know, so that I can put you in a class.”
I rose, and with a great swelling knot in my throat, drew my book from my side pocket and carried it to her.
“How far have you been in this?” she said, as she carelessly fluttered over the leaves.
“I went clear through it, ma’am, under mother.”
“Well, let me see how you spell; spell ‘honest’?”
I had begun, at first, spelling by recollecting how the letters looked on the page, but mother had broken me from it and taught me to spell words by their sound. Accordingly I stammered out, while my eyes filled with tears and the knot in my throat almost choked me:
At this Frank Paning led off with a laugh, followed by the whole school. A rap on Miss Hester’s desk secured silence, and she proceeded.
“Don’t be so frightened, child, try another word; spell ‘Business.’”
Knowledge of everything, save the names of the letters, was gone, and I blindly blurted out:
“B-i-z-z-i-n-e-double ess!” I broke down completely and stood there trying to hide my crying, while the perverse tears would drop on the floor, and my nose, treacherous organ, required constant snuffling or the tell-tale use of my handkerchief.
Another titter was heard, but Miss Hester repressed it, and said in her kindest tone:
“Poor child, you are too much agitated to spell. I will put you, for the present, in a class with Lulie Mayland and Edward Cheyleigh. Go there, and let her show you where the lesson is.”
As I started across the room a wad of chewed paper struck me in the face. I did not see who threw it, but Miss Hester did, and calling up Frank Paning gave him a sound whipping.