politely, and said carelessly, 'It all seems rather sad--Pilate
is a nice name, but not Pontius.' Then Jock laughed at him learning,
'What is your name, A or B?' and Mhor himself preferred to go to the
root of the matter with our Shorter Catechism, and answer nobly if
obscurely--_Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for
ever_. Indeed, he might be Scots in his passion for theology. The other
night he went to bed very displeased with me, and said, 'You needn't
read me any more of that narsty Bible,' but when I went up to say
good-night he greeted me with, '_How_ can I keep the commandments when I
can't even remember what they are?' ... This is Mhor's school, or rather
Miss Main's school."

They went up the steps of a pretty, creeper-covered house.

"It once belonged to an artist," Jean explained. "There is a great big
light studio at the back which makes an ideal schoolroom. It's an ideal
school altogether. Miss Main and her young stepsister are born teachers,
full of humour and understanding, as well as being brilliantly
clever--far too clever really for this job; but if they don't mind we
needn't complain. They get the children on most surprisingly, and teach
them all sorts of things outside their lessons. Mhor is always
astonishing me with his information about things going on in the
world.... Yes, do come in. They won't mind. You would like to see the
children."

"I would indeed. But won't Miss Main object to us interrupting--"

Miss Main at once reassured her on that point, and said that both she
and the scholars loved visitors. She took them into the large schoolroom
where twenty small people of various sizes sat with their books, very
cheerfully imbibing knowledge.

Mhor and another small boy occupied one desk.

Jean greeted the small boy as "Sandy," and asked him what he was
studying at that moment.

"I don't know," said Sandy.

"Sandy," said Miss Main, "don't disgrace your teachers. You know you are
learning the multiplication table. What are three times three?"

Sandy merely looked coy.

"Mhor?"

"Six," said Mhor, after some thought.

"Hopeless," said Miss Main. "Come and speak to my sister Elspeth, Miss
Reston."

"My sister Elspeth" was a tall, fair girl with merry blue eyes.

"Do you teach the Mhor?" Pamela asked her.

"I have that honour," said Miss Elspeth, and began to laugh. "He always
arrives full of ideas. This morning he had thought out a plan to stop
the rain. The sky,