oubt or
question, and before he had done he satisfied it fully. I had always
liked Dr. Sandford; I had never liked him so much; I had never, since
the old childish times, had such a free talk with him. And now, he did
not talk to me as a child or a very young girl, except in bending
himself to my ignorance; but as one who loves knowledge likes to give
it to others, so he gave it to me. Only I do not remember seeing him
like to give it in such manner to anybody else. I think the novelty
added to the zest when I thought about it; at the moment I had no time
for side thoughts. At the moment my ears could but receive the pearls
and diamonds of knowledge which came from the speaker's lips, set in
silver of the simplest clear English. I notice that the people who
have the most thorough grasp of a subject make ever least difficulty
of words about it.

The sun was high and hot when we returned, but I cared nothing for
that. I was more than ever sure that West Point was fairyland. The old
spring of childish glee seemed to have come back to my nerves.

"Dinner is just ready," said Mrs. Sandford, meeting us in the hall.
"Why, where _have_ you been? And look at the colour of Daisy's face!
Oh, Grant, what have you done with her?"

"Very good colour--" said the doctor, peering under my hat.

"She's all flushed and sunburnt, and overheated."

"Daisy is never anything but cool," he said; "unless when she gets
hold of a principle, and somebody else gets hold of the other end.
We'll look at these things after dinner, Daisy."

"Principles?" half exclaimed Mrs. Sandford, with so dismayed an
expression that the doctor and I both laughed.

"Not exactly," said the doctor, putting his hand in his pocket. "Look
here."

"I see nothing but a little dirt."

"You shall see something else by and by--if you will."

"You have never brought your microscope here, Grant? Where in the
world will you set it up?"

"In your room--after dinner--if you permit."

Mrs. Sandford permitted; and though she did not care much about the
investigations that followed, the doctor and I did. As delightful as
the morning had been, the long afternoon stretched its bright hours
along; till Mrs. Sandford insisted I must be dressed, and pushed the
microscope into a corner and ordered the doctor away.

That was the beginning of the pleasantest course of lessons I ever had in
my life. From that time Dr. Sandford and I spent a large part of every
day in the hills