Her announcement was greeted by the girls with eager thanks, by the boys with a tremendous “Three times three for Miss Fosbrook!” and Bessie was so joyous, that instead of crying out against the noise, she joined in with Susan and Annie; but they made such a ridiculous little squeaking, that Sam laughed at them, and took to mocking their queer thin hurrahs. Yet even this Elizabeth could bear! David was meanwhile standing by the locker, his fingers at work as if he were playing a tune, his lips counting away, “Ninety-two, ninety-three, ninety-four—that’s me; ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven—that’s Jack,” and so on; till having plodded up diligently, he turned round with a little scream, “One hundred and twenty! That’s the pig!” “What?” cried Annie. “One hundred and twenty pence. Sukey said one hundred and twenty pence were ten shillings. That will do it! That’s the pig! Oh, we’ve done it! May I take it to Purday?” “It was to be let alone till fair-day, you little bother!” said Hal. “No, no, no,” cried many voices; “only till we had enough.” “And I am sure nobody knows if we have,” added Hal hotly. “A lot of halfpence, indeed!” “But I know, Hal,” insisted David. “There are eighty-nine pence and one farthing in Toby Fillpot, and this makes one hundred and twenty-two pence and one farthing.” “You’d no business to peep,” said Sam. “I didn’t peep,” said David indignantly. “There were forty-eight pence at first, and then Susie had three, that was fifty-one—” And he would have gone on like a little calculating machine, with the entire reckoning in his head, if the others had had patience to hear; but Annie and Johnnie were urgent to have the sum counted out before their eyes. Hal roughly declared it was against the rules, and little inquisitives must not have their way. But others were also inquisitive; and Sam said it would be best to know how much they had, that Purday might be told to look out for a pig at the price; besides, he wanted to have it over; it was such a bore not to have any money. “It’s not fair!” cried Henry passionately. “You don’t keep the rules! You sha’n’t have my sixpence, I can tell you; and I won’t—I won’t stay and see it.” “Nobody wants you,” said Sam. “I didn’t know there were any rules,” said the girls; but Hal was already off. “Hal has only put in fivepence-halfpenny,” said David, “so no wonder he is ashamed. Such a big boy, with sixpence a week! But if he won’t let us have his sixpence now—” “Never mind, we will make it up next week,” said Susan. “Now, then, who will take Toby down?” said Miss Fosbrook, unbuttoning one glass door, and undoing the two bolts of the second, behind which the cup of money stood. “Susie ought, because she is the eldest.” “Davie ought, because he is the youngest.”