They sat quietly as the others went away. A
deep silence fell in that little room. Of a sudden it had become a
lonely place.
The teacher damped the fire and put on his overshoes.
"Boys," said he, drawing a big silver watch, "hear that watch
ticking. It tells the flight of seconds. You are--eighteen, did
you say? They turn boys into oxen here in this country; just a
thing of bone and muscle, living to sweat and lift and groan.
Maybe I can save you, but there's not a minute to lose. With you
it all depends on this term of school. When it's done you'll
either be ox or driver. Play checkers?"
Tom nodded.
"I'll come over some evening, and we'll have a game. Good night!"
XV
The Tinker at Linley School
Every seat was filled at the Linley School next morning. The
tinker had come to see Trove and sat behind the big desk as work
began.
"There are two kinds of people," said the teacher, after all were
seated--"those that command--those that obey. No man is fit to
command until he has learned to obey--he will not know how. The
one great thing life has to teach you is--obey. There was a young
bear once that was bound to go his own way. The old bear told him
it wouldn't do to jump over a precipice, but, somehow, he couldn't
believe it and jumped.
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