Page:Tom Brown's School Days (6th ed).djvu/354

 "Well, Tom," said East, recovering himself, "I don't see any objection to the new way. It's about as good as the old one, I think, besides the advantage it gives one of feeling virtuous and looking down on one's neighbors."

Tom shoved his hand into his back hair. "I ain't so sure," said he; "you two fellows carried me off my legs; I don't think we really tried one sentence fairly. Are you sure you remember what the Doctor said to you?"

"Yes. And I'll swear I couldn't make out one of my sentences to-day. No, nor ever could. I really don't remember," said East, speaking slowly and impressively, "to have come across one Latin or Greek sentence this half that I could go and construe by the light of nature. Whereby I am sure Providence intended cribs to be used."

"The thing to find out," said Tom, meditatively, "is how long one ought to grind at a sentence without looking at the crib. Now, I think if one fairly looks out all the words one don't know, and then can't hit it, that's enough."

"To be sure, Tommy," said East, demurely, but with a merry twinkle in his eye. "Your new doctrine, too, old fellow," added he, "when one comes to think of it, is a cutting at the root of all school morality. You'll take away mutual help, brotherly love, or, in the vulgar tongue, giving construes, which I hold to be one of our highest virtues. For how can you distinguish between getting a construe from another boy and using a crib? Hang it, Tom, if you're going to deprive all our school-fellows of the chance of exercising Christian benevolence and being good Samaritans, I shall cut the concern."

"I wish you wouldn't joke about it, Harry; it's hard enough to see one's way, a precious sight harder than I thought last night. But I suppose there's a use and an abuse of both, and one 'll get straight enough somehow. But you can't make out, anyhow, that one has a right to use old vulgus-books and copy-books."

"Hullo, more heresy! how fast a fellow goes down-hill when