* * * * * The next morning Miss Doane was at school early. She had been working for some moments at her desk in the Assembly Room, when she became aware that again an unusual sort of demonstration was taking place in the outside hall. To the hall Miss Doane went; and there, once more, she was met by the large colored man and the small colored boy. "Jes 'blige ter 'ply de same kine o' coaxin', Miss! Whup 'im all de way yere! Ain't I, Trusty?" Poor Trusty appeared almost too spent even to reply; and Miss Doane looked at him and suggested that he go to his seat and rest. "M-m-m--ain' gwine no seat 'n' res'!" he growled. His father intervened: "Yer see, Miss? Yer see? He's de hard-haidedes' chile I'se got, an' dat's de trufe. Come 'long, now, boy; jes come 'long, now!" And, without ceremony, Trusty was lifted with a firm hand and transported through the Assembly Room to his seat, where he was deposited with a thump. Miss North looked up in mild surprise. "Why, Trusty! Good morning!" Trusty's response was a thing of conjecture. "And so you are back at school again; and aren't you glad, after all, to come back to this nice school?" "M-m-m--school nuthin'!" was the unexpectedly prompt response. "Yer'll fine 'im mighty wearisome, I 'spec', Miss," put in the parent. "But whup 'im! Dat's all I kin say. Whup 'im _all_ de time; an' me 'n' 'Mandy'll wuk on 'im nights 'n' mawnin's." Miss North looked at the diminutive object but half filling his seat, and caught her breath. Another day of alternate gloom and occasional spasmodic interest on Trusty's part, another day of doubts and fears in his behalf on the part of Miss North. That night, just as he was about to scuffle disconsolately behind the others from the room, picturing, no doubt, some of the joys which were awaiting him at home, she called him back. Ezekiel stood by her desk, wondering why she had called him, too. "Trusty," she began, "wouldn't you like to come to school to-morrow morning with Ezekiel?" Trusty looked up doubtfully, and Ezekiel looked up, not just comprehending. "You live near each other, don't you?" "No'm," Ezekiel's tone wavered anxiously. "No'm, we don't live nare each udder, Miss No'th; Trusty he live clare way _down_ de road." He stopped, meditating; then his face seemed to clear somewhat of its burden of thought. "But I reckon--I kin _git_ 'im yere, ef yer wants, Miss No'th; yas'm, I--I kin git 'im yere, ef yer wants, 'cuz I kin go af' 'im an' git 'im. Yas'm, I kin ca'y 'im ter school, Miss No'th!" Trusty looked a bit doubtful as to whether he should entirely fall in with the plan, and Miss North made haste to readjust herself. "No'm, 'tain' no trouble, Miss No'th; no'm. I kin ca'y 'im ter school ter-morrer, cyan't I, Trusty?" Trusty still appeared to be doubting heavily; but Ezekiel's assurances continued to ring warmly, as they moved on toward the door and disappeared into the hall.