The boys were delighted, but Roy still persisted in regarding him as his special protege, and more than once this had occasioned a heated argument between the two cousins.

“He doesn’t belong to you.  You order him about as if he were your servant,” said Dudley, impatiently, one afternoon after Roy had sent Rob on more than one errand to the house for him.

“Well, so he will be one day,” returned Roy, flushing up.

They were seated again in their favorite corner on the wall, some ripe plums having just been handed up to them by the obliging Rob, and Dudley having put an extra big one in his mouth was speechless for a moment.

“I suppose you’ll get so fond of Rob, that you won’t want me any longer,” he said, after some consideration.

“Rob is my servant, but you’re a friend and relation,” asserted Roy.

“He is an opportunity, and a pretty big one, isn’t he?”

“Why, yes; I never thought of that!  How splendid!”

Roy’s large eyes were shining, and he gazed with tender pride at Rob who was now sweeping the lawn.

“We have done him good already, haven’t we?” pursued Dudley, reflectively; “only he started by doing us good.  I tell you what we might do for him.  Teach him to read.”

Roy looked very doubtful.

“It is so difficult, and he seems so stupid.  I did try the other day, for he asked me to; but I never thought any body could be so stupid!  I told him we would have to give it up, for it made me lose my temper so.  I thought perhaps he could go to old Principle.  You see he is too big for school, but old Principle is always saying he likes to teach people things.”

“Well, that is awfully funny,” said Dudley, pointing down to the pine woods opposite them.  “Talk of him and there he is!  Isn’t that him walking along over there?  Look—­now he’s stooping down to look at something.  I’m sure it’s old Principle; we’ll call him!”

Two shrill boyish voices rang out, “Old Principle!  Hi!  We want you!  Old Principle!”

Soon after old Principle was standing beneath the wall, having obeyed the summons.

He stood looking up at them with his straw hat pushed to the back of his head, and his keen, piercing eyes twinkling kindly under his thick, shaggy eyebrows.

“Well, laddies, you’re above me now.  ’Tisn’t often you can look down at old Principle from such a superior height.”

“We want to ask you if we may send Rob down to you for you to teach him to read,” said Roy, eagerly.

“And why have not two idle boys more time than a busy shopkeeper to do such a thing?” demanded the old man.

“Oh, well, you see,” explained Roy, confusedly; “grown-up people know how to teach, and boys don’t.  Besides, we aren’t idle, we work hard at lessons all the morning, and we have half an hour’s prep after tea.”

Old Principle shook his head.

“And you’re the lad for making people better, and doing good to all.  ’Tis a bad principle, my boy, to wait for great opportunities, and let the small ones go!”