Gladys said she would keep on with him. But she was not allowed to do so, although she often gave him help in many ways. She had her own studies to attend to and was working hard at them, therefore Mr. Huntress would not allow her to tax herself any further, and so a tutor was engaged to come to the house every day to attend to Master Geoffrey’s lessons. The boy was true to his promise. He studied diligently, and his tutor never had occasion to utter a word of complaint over ill-prepared lessons. Geoffrey seemed to realize more and more how far behind other boys of his own age he was, and with his pride and ambition thus aroused, no task seemed too difficult to accomplish, if it would only serve to help him to overtake them. Another thing troubled him exceedingly. He had learned that Gladys was two years younger than himself, and yet she was nearly half through the high school, while he was simply learning his alphabet. The thought overwhelmed him with shame and pain. “Gladys is a girl younger than I, and I am years and years behind her, when I should be ever so far beyond her,” he said one day to Mrs. Huntress, when he had become almost discouraged over one of his lessons, and had gone to her for help and sympathy. “But Gladys has always been at school and you have not, Geoff,” returned his aunt, kindly. “Go and ask her to show you about these problems; she can help you much better than I, for they are fresher in her mind.” But the proud boy had all at once grown keenly sensitive, and would not seek the young girl’s aid. He preferred to fight the battle out by himself, rather than be coached by a girl younger than he was. Of course this was the better way; he gained in mental strength and self-reliance by it, and he accomplished more in three years than the ordinary school-boy would in six. Aside from his pride and sensitiveness in this respect, he was ever ready and eager to be with Gladys. Wherever she went, after school hours, he was her constant and devoted attendant, and no service was too hard or disagreeable to be performed for her. And she enjoyed having him with her. He was outgrowing the delicate, almost effeminate look which he had had when he first came to them; an air of manliness and strength had taken its place, while there was a natural gallantry and manliness about him that made him a very agreeable escort. Another year passed, and he made even more rapid strides in his studies than before; still it was a great trial to him that he had only completed the studies of the second year of the high school course, and Gladys was ready to graduate. He was present at her examination, and also at the exercises of the class when it graduated, and it was evident, from his flushed cheek and glittering eye, that some bitter struggle was going on within him.