When the mob had dispersed, after satisfying themselves with executing summary justice upon Piedro’s bench and board, Francisco found a carpenter’s rule lying upon the ground near Piedro’s broken bench, which he recollected to have seen in the hands of Carlo. He examined it carefully, and he found Carlo’s name written upon it, and the name of the street where he lived; and though it was considerably out of his way, he set out immediately to restore the rule, which was a very handsome one, to its rightful owner. After a hot walk through several streets, he overtook Carlo, who had just reached the door of his own house. Carlo was particularly obliged to him, he said, for restoring this rule to him, as it was a present from the master of a vessel, who employed his father to do carpenter’s work for him. “One should not praise one’s self, they say,” continued Carlo, “but I long so much to gain your good opinion, that I must tell you the whole history of the rule you have restored. It was given to me for having measured the work and made up the bill of a whole pleasure-boat myself. You may guess I should have been sorry enough to have lost it. Thank you for its being once more in my careless hands, and tell me, I beg, whenever I can do you any service. By-the-by, I can make up for you a fruit stall. I’ll do it to-morrow, and it shall be the admiration of the market. Is there anything else you could think of for me?” “Why, yes,” said Francisco; “since you are so good-natured, perhaps you’d be kind enough to tell me the meaning of some of those lines and figures that I see upon your rule. I have a great curiosity to know their use.” “That I’ll explain to you with pleasure, as far as I know them myself; but when I’m at fault, my father, who is cleverer than I am, and understands trigonometry, can help us out.” “Trigonometry!” repeated Francisco, not a little alarmed at the high sounding word; “that’s what I certainly shall never understand.” “Oh, never fear,” replied Carlo, laughing. “I looked just as you do now—I felt just as you do now—all in a fright and a puzzle, when I first heard of angles and sines, and cosines, and arcs and centres, and complements and tangents.” “Oh mercy! mercy!” interrupted Francisco, whilst Carlo laughed, with a benevolent sense of superiority.