his inkpot carefully, and then looked at the
ceiling.

"Come," urged the Professor, growing impatient, "you have been reading
about this wood for the last ten minutes. Surely you can tell me
something concerning it."

"The gnarly trees, their twisted branches"--recommenced the top boy.

"No, no," interrupted the Professor; "I do not want you to repeat the
poem. I want you to tell me in your own words what sort of a wood it was
where the girl lived."

The Professor tapped his foot impatiently; the top boy made a dash for
it.

"Please, sir, it was the usual sort of a wood."

"Tell him what sort of a wood," said he, pointing to the second lad.

The second boy said it was a "green wood." This annoyed the Professor
still more; he called the second boy a blockhead, though really I cannot
see why, and passed on to the third, who, for the last minute, had been
sitting apparently on hot plates, with his right arm waving up and down
like a distracted semaphore signal. He would have had to say it the next
second, whether the Professor had asked him or not; he was red in the
face, holding his knowledge in.

"A dark and gloomy wood," shouted the third boy, with much relief to his
feelings.

"A dark and gloomy wood," repeated the Professor, with evident approval.
"And why was it dark and gloomy?"

The third boy was still equal to the occasion.

"Because the sun could not get inside it."

The Professor felt he had discovered the poet of the class.

"Because the sun could not get into it, or, better, because the sunbeams
could not penetrate. And why could not the sunbeams penetrate there?"

"Please, sir, because the leaves were too thick."

"Very well," said the Professor. "The girl lived in a dark and gloomy
wood, through the leafy canopy of which the sunbeams were unable to
pierce. Now, what grew in this wood?" He pointed to the fourth boy.

"Please, sir, trees, sir."

"And what else?"

"Toadstools, sir." This after a pause.

The Professor was not quite sure about the toadstools, but on referring
to the text he found that the boy was right; toadstools had been
mentioned.

"Quite right," admitted the Professor, "toadstools grew there. And what
else? What do you find underneath trees in a wood?"

"Please, sir, earth, sir."

"No; no; what grows in a wood besides trees?"

"Oh, please, sir, bushes, sir."

"Bushes; very good. Now we are getting on. In this wood there were
trees and bushes. And