ined there for
years; and when the Potentate arrived they had resigned themselves to
despair. The Jolly-cum-pop, however, was affected in a different way.
It seemed to him the most amusing joke in the world that a person
should deliberately walk into a prison-cell and be locked up for
several years; and he lay down on his little bed and laughed himself
to sleep.

That night one of the boys sat at his iron-barred window, wide awake.
He was a Truant, and had never yet been in any place from which he
could not run away. He felt that his school-fellows depended upon him
to run away and bring them assistance, and he knew that his
reputation as a Truant was at stake. His responsibility was so heavy
that he could not sleep, and he sat at the window, trying to think of
a way to get out. After some hours the moon arose, and by its light
he saw upon the grass, not far from his window, a number of little
creatures, which at first he took for birds or small squirrels; but
on looking more attentively he perceived that they were pigwidgeons.
They were standing around a flat stone, and seemed to be making
calculations on it with a piece of chalk. At this sight, the heart of
the Truant jumped for joy. "Pigwidgeons can do any thing," he said to
himself, "and these certainly can get us out." He now tried in
various ways to attract the attention of the pigwidgeons; but as he
was afraid to call or whistle very loud, for fear of arousing the
jailor, he did not succeed. Happily, he thought of a pea-shooter
which he had in his pocket, and taking this out he blew a pea into
the midst of the little group with such force that it knocked the
chalk from the hand of the pigwidgeon who was using it. The little
fellows looked up in astonishment, and perceived the Truant beckoning
to them from his window. At first they stood angrily regarding him;
but on his urging them in a loud whisper to come to his relief, they
approached the prison and, clambering up a vine, soon reached his
window-sill. The Truant now told his mournful tale, to which the
pigwidgeons listened very attentively; and then, after a little
consultation among themselves, one of them said: "We will get you out
if you will tell us how to divide five-sevenths by six."

The poor Truant was silent for an instant, and then he said: "That is
not the kind of thing I am good at, but I expect some of the other
fellows could tell you easily enough. Our windows must be all in a
row, and you can