t feel too much flattered, Tom," said his mother.

"You don't know enough to hurt you."

"He never will," said his sister, Jane, laughing.

"I don't want to know enough to hurt me," returned Tom, good humoredly.
He was rather used to such compliments, and didn't mind them.

"No," said Mr. Walton; "I am afraid I can't spare time to come to the
examination. Are you going, mother?"

It is quite common in the country for husbands to address wives in this
manner.

"I shall try to go in the last of the afternoon," said Mrs. Walton.

"If you will come, mother," said Harry, "we'll all help you afterwards,
so you won't lose anything by it."

"I think I will contrive to come."

The examination took place in the afternoon. Mr. Burbank preferred to
have it so, for two reasons. It allowed time to submit the pupils to
a previous private examination in the morning, thus insuring a better
appearance in the afternoon. Besides, in the second place, the parents
were more likely to be at liberty to attend in the afternoon, and he
naturally liked to have as many visitors as possible. He was really a
good teacher, though his qualifications were limited; but as far as his
knowledge went, he was quite successful in imparting it to others.

In the afternoon there was quite a fair attendance of parents and
friends of the scholars, though some did not come in till late, like
Mrs. Walton. It is not my intention to speak of the examination
in detail. My readers know too little of the scholars to make that
interesting. Ephraim Higgins made some amusing mistakes, but that didn't
excite any surprise, for his scholarship was correctly estimated in the
village. Tom Walton did passably well, but was not likely to make his
parents proud of his performances. Harry, however, eclipsed himself. His
ambition had been stirred by the offer of a prize, and he was resolved
to deserve it. His recitations were prompt and correct, and his answers
were given with confidence. But perhaps he did himself most credit in
declamation. He had always been very fond of that, and though he had
never received and scientific instruction in it, he possessed a natural
grace and a deep feeling of earnestness which made success easy. He had
selected an extract from Webster--the reply to the Hayne--and this was
the showpiece of the afternoon. The rest of the declamation was crude
enough, but Harry's impressed even the most ignorant of his listeners
as superior for a boy of