“Listen, boys,” said John Sandford, “I’ll put you up to a good joke. We shall have the rest of those sums to-morrow. We’ll all pretend we can’t do them, and ask him to explain them to us. Do you agree?”

The boys unanimously agreed.

“As he will be most likely to call on you, Julius, you must be the individual to ask him for an explanation.”

“All right,” said Julius, who enjoyed the prospect² of cornering the teacher.

Accordingly at recess³ Julius went up to the teacher gravely, and said, “Mr. Slocum, will you tell me how to do this sum?”

“Ahem! let me see it,” said the teacher.

He took the book and read the following example:

“If seven is the denominator of the following fraction, nine and one-quarter over twelve and seven-eighths, what is its value when reduced to a simple fraction?”

Now this ought not to present any difficulty to a teacher; but Mr. Slocum had tried it at home, and knew he could not do it. He relied upon some one of the scholars to do it on the board, and as he decided⁴ in his own mind, from his experience of the day before, that Julius was most to be relied upon, he was dismayed by receiving such an application from our hero.

“It is rather a difficult example,” he said, slowly. “Have you tried it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Julius had tried it, and obtained the correct answer; but this he did not think it necessary to mention.

“Then you had better go to your desk and try again.”

“Won’t you explain it to me, sir?”

“I have not time,” said Mr. Slocum. “Besides, I think it much better that you should find out for yourself.”

“It isn’t easy to get ahead of him,” thought Julius; “but when the class comes up, we’ll see how he’ll get off.”

To tell the truth, though he had got off for the time being, Mr. Slocum was rather disturbed in mind. He could not do the sum, and it was possible he would be called upon to explain it to the class. How should he

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