As the teacher was turning to go to his desk, hearing a rustling noise toward the door, he turned to look.  He was, so to speak, petrified with astonishment.  There stood on the threshold of the door a woman whose beauty was such as he had never seen surpassed.  She held a boy by the hand.  She was a mulatto woman, tall and graceful.  Her hair was raven black and was combed away from as beautiful a forehead as nature could chisel.  Her eyes were a brown hazel, large and intelligent, tinged with a slight look of melancholy.  Her complexion was a rich olive, and seemed especially adapted to her face, that revealed not a flaw.

The teacher quickly pulled off his hat, which he had not up to that time removed since his return from the drug store.  As the lady moved up the aisle toward him, he was taken with stage fright.  He recovered self-possession enough to escort her and the boy to the front and give them seats.  The whole school divided its attention between the beautiful woman and the discomfitted teacher.  They had not known that he was so full of smiles and smirks.

“What is your name?” he enquired in his most suave manner.

“Fairfax Belgrave,” replied the visitor.

“May I be of any service to you, madam?”

At the mention of the word madam, she colored slightly.  “I desire to have my son enter your school and I trust that you may see your way clear to admit him.”

“Most assuredly madam, most assuredly.”  Saying this, he hastened to his desk, opened it and took out his register.  He then sat down, but the next instant leapt several feet into the air, knocking over his desk.  He danced around the floor, reaching toward the rear of his pants, yelling:  “Pull it out! pull it out! pull it out!”

The children hid their faces behind their books and chuckled most gleefully.  Billy Smith was struck dumb with terror.  Abe was rolling on the floor, bellowing with uncontrollable laughter.

The teacher finally succeeded in extricating the offending steel and stood scratching his head in chagrin at the spectacle he had made of himself before his charming visitor.  He took an internal oath to get his revenge out of Mrs. Piedmont and her son, who had been the innocent means of his double downfall that day.

His desk was arranged in a proper manner and the teacher took his pen and wrote two names, now famous the world over.

“Bernard Belgrave, age 9 years.”

“Belton Piedmont, age 8 years.”

Under such circumstances Belton began his school career.

CHAPTER III.

The parson’s advice.

With heavy heart and with eyes cast upon the ground, Mrs. Piedmont walked back home after leaving Belton with his teacher.  She had intended to make a special plea for her boy, who had all along displayed such precociousness as to fill her bosom with the liveliest hopes.  But the teacher was so repulsive in manner that she did not have the heart to speak to him as she had intended.