Carey, and extracted as much fun as
possible from his studies. Mavis was quite sure he made mistakes on
purpose, and pretended to be stupid in order to reduce the standard of
what was required, but the main object was to keep him quiet and out of
mischief, and her teaching served that end at any rate.
"I wouldn't be a mistress in a boys' preparatory school if they offered
me a thousand a year!" she told Mother. "I'd rather clean doorsteps, or
sew buttons on shirts at a farthing a dozen, or sell watercress, or wash
dishes in a restaurant!"
"Nonsense! It's not so bad as all that, surely!" laughed Mrs. Ramsay.
"If you knew how the little wretch rags me! I only wish it was Merle who
had to teach him and that I had the mumps instead. It must be nice and
quite comfortable by the fire upstairs!"
Merle, however, did not at all appreciate the privilege of being ill and
confined to one room. She was not so fond of indoor amusements as her
sister, and soon tired of reading and drawing and games of patience.
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