"You need not fear," he said,--"I know Reuben Taylor. But you have got something else to think of just now." Then placing a chair for her at the table, Mr. Linden took up the little book and began his work of examination. And perhaps it is not too much to say that even Dr. Harrison might have learned somewhat from the way it was carried on. A skilful and kind way of finding out what she did not know, from what she did; initiation and examining so carried on together that Faith found herself knowing where she thought she was ignorant,--more still, perhaps, a kind of separate decision what she _ought_ to learn, and how; which saved her the trouble of acknowledging and confessing; and all as gently done as if he had been dealing with some delicate winged creature, whose downy plumage would come off with a touch,--such was the threatened examination. She might flutter a little under his hand, but the soft wings were unhurt. "Tell me first, Miss Faith," he said turning over the leaves, "what you have been doing here by yourself." "I have been all through it," she said; 'fluttering' sure enough, yet as much with pleasure as with timidity; not at all with fear. "Will you work these out for me--" and he gave her half a dozen different tests on a bit of paper. She coloured, and he could see her hand tremble; but she was not long doing them, and she did them well, and gave them back without a word and without raising her eyes. "Well," said Mr. Linden, smiling a little as he looked at the paper, "if it takes half an hour to hear Charles twelfth his lesson, and Johnny gives you but one quarter the trouble, and Rob Waters about twice as much as Johnny, how much time will you spend upon them all?" "It will be about an hour--wanting an eighth," she said without raising her eyes, but with a bit of a smile too. "I hear you and Johnny have arranged preliminaries, Miss Faith." "Yes," said Faith looking up brightly, "he came to shew me his ribband and to tell me last night. But I was almost sorry, Mr. Linden,--that you should send _him_ away from you." "For Johnny's sake, or my own?" "For his sake--certainly." "You need not speak so assuredly--there were two parties to the question--besides you. But I have him still, you know, in a way. What has been in hand since this little book was finished?" "Nothing--except the Philosophe,--and--" "Well?--isn't that blank to be filled up?" "And Shakspeare," said Faith casting down her eyes. "I cannot let you confine yourself to the study of human nature," said Mr. Linden,--"that will never do. Charles twelfth and Shakspeare want ground to stand upon. Did you ever read anything of Physical Geography?" She shook her head. "I don't know what that is, Mr. Linden."