It is doubtful if there will ever anything look nicer to Tode than did that little clean room, and that little square table, with its bit of a white patched table-cloth, and its three plates and three knives, and its loaf of bread, and its very little lump of b.u.t.ter; a little black teakettle puffed and steamed its welcome, and a very funny little old brown ware teapot stood waiting on the hearth. There was that in this poor homeless boy"s nature that took this picture in, and he felt it to his very heart. It was better a hundred times than the glitter and grandeur of the Euclid House, for didn"t he know perfectly well that the little brown teapot on the hearth was waiting for _him_, and had anything ever waited for _him_ before?
"Now we are all ready," chirped the old lady, cheerily, as Tode set down his basket and took off his cap. "Come Winny," and straightway there appeared from the little room of the kitchen a new character in this story of Tode"s life, one whom the boy had never heard of before, and at whom he stared as startled as if she had suddenly blown up to them, fairy-like, from out the wide mouth of the black teakettle.
"This is my Winny," explained she of the frill cap. "This is Jim"s and Rick"s sister. Dear me! I don"t believe I ever thought to tell you they had a sister. She was to school when you was bobbing back and forth yesterday and to-day, and she was to bed when you came home last night."
"Well she"s here now," interrupted Winny. "Ready to be looked at, which she"s likely to be, I should think. Let"s have tea."
Tode had been very uncertain as to whether he liked this new revelation of the family; but one word in the mother"s sentence smoothed his face, and he sat down opposite the great gray eyes of the grave, self-possessed looking Winny with a satisfied air.
"Now," said the mother, looking kindly on him, "I"ve always asked a blessing myself at my table, because Jim and Rick they don"t neither of "em lean that way, but if you would do it I think it would be all right and nice."
Tode looked bewildered a moment; then adopted the very wise and straightforward course of saying:
"I don"t know what "asking a blessing" means."
"Don"t you, now? Why it"s to say a little prayer to G.o.d before you eat--just to thank him, you know."
A little gleam of satisfaction shone in Tode"s eyes.
"Do good people do that?" he asked.
"Why, yes--all the folks I ever lived with when I was a girl. Deacon Small"s family, and Esquire Edward"s family, and all, used to."
"Every time they eat?"
"Every single time."
"That"s _nice_," said Tode, heartily. Whereat the gray eyes opposite looked wonderingly at him. "I like that. Now, what do they say?"
"Oh they just pray a little simple word--just to say thank you to the Lord, you know."
"And do you want me to do it?"
"Well, I think it would be nice and proper like, if you felt like it."
Reverently Tode closed his eyes, and reverently and simply did he offer his thanksgiving.
"O Lord, we thank you for this bread and b.u.t.ter and tea."
Then he commenced at once on the subject of his thoughts. Conversation addressed to Winny.
"Do you go to school?"
"Yes."
"What kind of a place is school?"
"Nice enough place if you want to learn, stupid if you don"t."
"Do you want to learn?"
"Some."
"Well, what do you learn?"
"Reading, spelling, writing, geography, arithmetic, and grammar."
"My! What are _all_ them things?"
"Don"t you know what reading is?"
"Yes, I know them first three; but what"s the long words?"
"Well, geography is about the earth."
"Earth? What do you mean, dirt?"
"Some--and some water, and some hills, and rivers, and cities, and mountains."
"But you can see all them things."
"Well, it tells you more than you can see."
"And what"s t"other?"
"Arithmetic is about figures. What are you asking me so many questions for?--didn"t you ever go to school?"
"Never did in all my life, not an hour. Now go on about the figures."
"Well, all about them--how to add and multiply, and subtract and divide, and fractions."
"Never heard of one of "em," said Tode, with a little sigh. "What be they all for?"
"Why so you can buy things and sell them, and keep accounts, and everything."
"Then I ought to know "em, "cause that"s what I"m doing. Do you know "em?"
"I"m studying arithmetic, and I"m as far as fractions."
"Will you show "em to me?"
"Mother," said Winny, turning despairing eyes on the attentive old lady, "he"s such a funny boy. I don"t know what to make of him."
"He wants to study and learn, deary, don"t you see?"
"I think that"s just as nice as can be," she added, turning to Tode.
"Winny, she"s a great scholar, keeps to the head of her cla.s.s all the time, most, and she studies evenings, and you could get out your book, and she would show you all about things, couldn"t you, deary?"
"I don"t care," said Winny, listlessly. "Yes, I might if he wants to learn, and if he won"t bother me too much."