One day in the first week of his new schooling, Cosmo took occasion to mention Aggie’s difficulty with her algebra, and her anxiety to find whether it was true that a girl could do as well as a boy. Mr. Simon was much interested, and with the instinct of the true hunter, whose business it is to hunt death for the sake of life, began to think whether here might not be another prepared to receive. He knew her father well, but had made no acquaintance with Agnes yet, who indeed was not a little afraid of him, for he looked as if he were always thinking about things nobody else knew of, although, in common with every woman who saw it, she did find his smile reassuring. No doubt the peculiar feeling of the neighbours concerning him had caused her involuntarily to associate with him the idea of something “no canny.” Not the less, when she heard from Cosmo what sort of man his new master was, would she have given all she possessed to learn of him. And before long, she had her chance. Old Dorothy, Mr. Simon’s servant and housekeeper, was one day taken ill, and Cosmo mentioning the fact in Aggie’s hearing, she ran, with a mere word to her mother, and not a moments’ cogitation, to offer her assistance till she was better. It turned out that “auld Dorty,” as the neighbours called her, not without some hint askance at the quality of her temper, was not very seriously ailing, yet sufficiently so to accept a little help for the rougher work of the house; and while Aggie was on her knees washing the slabs of the passage that led through to the back door, the master, as she always called him now that Cosmo was his pupil, happened to come from his room, and saw and addressed her. She rose in haste, mechanically drying her hands in her apron. “How’s the algebra getting on, Agnes?” he said. “Naething’s gettin’ on verra weel sin’ maister Cosmo gaed frae the schuil, sir. I dinna seem to hae the hert for the learnin’ ’at I had sae lang as he was there, sae far aheid o’ me, but no a’ thegither oot ’o my sicht, like.--It soon’s a conceitit kin’ o’ a thing to say, but I’m no meanin’ onything o’ that natur’, sir.” “I understand you very well, Agnes,” returned the master. “Would you like to have some lessons with me? I don’t say along with Cosmo; you would hardly be able for that at present, I fancy--but at such times as you could manage to come--odd times, when you were not wanted.” “There’s naething upo’ the airth, sir,” said Aggie, “’at I wad like half sae weel. Thae jist a kin’ o’ a hoonger upo’ me for un’erstan’in’ things. Its frae bein’ sae muckle wi’ Maister Cosmo, I’m thinkin’--ever sin’ he was a bairn, ye ken, sir; for bein’ twa year aul’er nor him, I was a kin’ o’ a wee nursie til him; an’ ever sin’ syne we hae had nae secrets frae ane anither; an’ ye ken what he’s like--aye wantin’ to win at the boddom o’ things, an’ that’s infeckit me, sae ’at I canna rist whan I see onybody un’erstan’in’ a thing, till I set aboot gettin’ a grip o’ ’t mysel’.”