THE ARITHMETIC LESSON. 27

“Pooh!” I inwardly exclaimed ; “people do make
miserable shifts to get along easy, as father says. I
will try, and then, if I do it, I shall know how to ex-
plain it. I will make up my mind to meet this hard
old seventh “ke a man, and I will master him.”

And now I began to work z-carnest. I read-over
the example, and meant to understand it. I began to.
cipher, and meant to work it out.

“Father says I can, and I must; now let me see,”
I said, with an honest desire to do all that I could. Oh,
what priceless value there is in an honest desire to do
‘what we can! It would save multitudes from present
uselessness and from eternal suffering. i

-“Bob! Bob! come out here; come! we have a
pla on foot!” cried Sam- Jones, opening the school-:
room door, and beckoning me thither.

I looked up and shook my head.

“Come!” shouted Charley, peeping over-his shoul-
der. “We cannot do without you. Come, Robert !
never mind about your seventh.”

“No. Business before pleasure,” I answered, keep-