for Frank, though the harvest was gathered in, there were plenty
of small jobs to occupy his attention. He divided with Jacob the
care of the cows, and was up betimes in the morning to do his
share of the milking. Then the pigs and chickens must be fed
every day, and this Frank took entirely into his own charge.
Wood, also, must be prepared for the daily wants of the house,
and this labor he shared with Jacob.

In the afternoon, however, Frank usually had two or three hours
at his own disposal, and this, in accordance with a previous
determination, he resolved to devote to keeping up his studies.
He did not expect to make the same progress that he would have
done if he had been able to continue at school, but it was
something to feel that he was not remaining stationary.

Frank resolved to say nothing to his classmates about his private
studies. They would think he was falling far behind, and at some
future time he would surprise them.

Still, there were times when he felt the need of a teacher. He
would occasionally encounter difficulties which he found himself
unable to surmount without assistance. At such times he thought
of Mr Rathburn's kind offer. But his old teacher lived nearly a
mile distant, and he felt averse to troubling him, knowing that
his duties in school were arduous.

Occasionally he met some of his schoolmates. As nearly all of
them were friendly and well-disposed to him, this gave him
pleasure, and brought back sometimes the wish that he was as free
as they. But this wish was almost instantly checked by the