The Richest Heart

Chapter 16

"Good morning, children," Miss Weed said brightly. "Today, we have a new student here."

Emiline listened excitedly. She had already caught glimpses of Mr. Gray's son that morning, but he had kept to himself. Now, she and her schoolmates stared across the room at the city boy.

"His name is Julian Gray. I want you all to make him feel very welcome today, alright?" the teacher urged.

"Yes, Miss Weed," all of the children agreed.

"Very good, now let's begin our lessons."

Emiline only gave half of her attention to her studies. As usual, her mind was busy with daydreams. She watched the new student with a pleasant smile. He looked just like his father. His eyes were dark and his hair was golden. He was tall but not as tall as Peter. And although he wasn't a chubby boy, he still had more fat than he had muscle. Emma thought that he looked nice. Every time the teacher asked him to answer a question, he did it with respect and showed that he was very clever.

A squeaky little voice interrupted Emiline's thoughts. "Teacher," a boy called. Benjamin waved a begging hand frantically, reaching it as high as it would go. Miss Weed looked across the room at him. She was already sitting next to a girl trying to solve one of her problems.

"You must wait your turn, Benjamin," she said calmly.

Benjamin waited very quietly for a long, long time. All the while, he kept his arm in the air, hoping he wouldn't be forgotten. At last, his patience began to wear out.

"I need help," he said quietly. Then, just a little bit louder, he said it again. No one seemed to take notice. The boy lowered his hand at last and thudded his head against his desk pathetically.

Miss Weed let out a soft laugh. "Peter, please help your brother," she said at last.

Peter obeyed. He didn't mind teaching very much. It just went to show how smart he was. But sometimes Benjamin tried everyone's patience. He was a good boy, and he never meant to be difficult, but he had an endless number of questions. That day he was having more trouble than ever. Peter helped him several times, but it was never long before another problem arose.

"I thought I taught you this yesterday!" Peter exclaimed in a whisper.

Benjamin stared up at him with a pitiful pout. "I forgot it," he whimpered. "I can't do it."

"You don't think you can do anything. But it ain't true. Come on Benjamin," Peter said, "all you've gotta do is think a little harder."

His little brother looked down at his slate and twisted his mouth around thoughtfully. Then, reluctantly, he picked up his chalk and began to solve his problem slowly. Every time he wrote down a number, he glanced up at Peter to see if he was doing it right. At last Peter patted the boy on the shoulder in an approving way and went back to his own desk. Benjamin was smarter than he thought he was, but he never had the courage to hope that he could solve a problem by himself.

That day, all of the children looked forward to lunch time. They wanted to meet the new boy and show him that they were friendly. Emma was especially excited about him, but it would be a while before she was really able to meet Julian. As he left the schoolhouse, a few of the boys swarmed around him, shaking his hand and exchanging their names. Then they whisked the new boy away and ran off to have some fun.

The boys always did wild, adventurous things at lunch time. Today, they ran into the forest. Julian hesitated as they rushed into the thick brambles. He was accustomed to city streets and well-pruned parks, not the untamed woods of the country. But it only took him a moment to gather his courage. In a flash he was running beside the others.