etters. When at
length Janet saw him take the book by himself, and sit pondering
over it, she had not a doubt he was understanding it, and her heart
leapt for joy. He had to ask her a good many words at first, and
often the meaning of one and another; but he seldom asked a question
twice; and as his understanding was far ahead of his reading, he was
able to test a conjectured meaning by the sense or nonsense it made
of the passage.

One day she turned him to the paraphrases.[2] At once, to his
astonishment, he found there, all silent, yet still the same delight
which Donal used to divide to him from the book of ballants. His
joy was unbounded. He jumped from his seat; he danced, and laughed,
and finally stood upon one leg: no other mode of expression but
this, the expression of utter failure to express, was of avail to
the relief of his feeling.

One day, a few weeks after Gibbie had begun to read by himself,
Janet became aware that he was sitting on his stool, in what had
come to be called the cratur's corner, more than usually absorbed in
some attempt with slate and pencil--now ceasing, lost in thought,
and now commencing anew. She went near and peeped over his
shoulder. At the top of the slate he had written the word give,
then the word giving, and below them, gib, then gibing; upon these
followed gib again, and he was now plainly meditating something
further. Suddenly he seemed to find what he wanted, for in haste,
almost as if he feared it might escape him, he added a y, making the
word giby--then first lifted his head, and looked round, evidently
seeking her. She laid her hand on his head. He jumped up with one
of his most radiant smiles, and holding out the slate to her,
pointed with his pencil to the word he had just completed. She did
not know it for a word, but sounded it as it seemed to stand, making
the g soft, as I daresay some of my readers, not recognizing in
Gibbie the diminutive of Gilbert, may have treated its more accurate
form. He shook his head sharply, and laid the point of his pencil
upon the g of the give written above. Janet had been his teacher
too long not to see what he meant, and immediately pronounced the
word as he would have it. Upon this he began a wild dance, but
sobering suddenly, sat down, and was instantly again absorbed in
further attempt. It lasted so long that Janet resumed her previous
household occupation. At length he rose, and with thoughtful,
doubtful cont