His hair was painfully smooth, and he wore a bright striped
shirt, an old red tie, and while his suit could hardly be called
"dressy," it certainly showed that the boy had brushed it, and that
he had tried to improve his appearance.
At school he had learned that he must remove his hat when he entered
a room, a fact that had greatly surprised him, but he had remembered
it.
Aunt Judith felt that she must work carefully, lest Gyp be seized with
fear, and bolt for the door, and freedom.
Gently she told him how, by doing his best, he would find friends who
would deal kindly with him. That he might have friends if he chose,
and that he could, by good behavior, force them to respect him.
"I will be your friend," she said, "and Gyp, let me prove it. Rose
tells me that you find your lessons hard to master. Bring them to me
evenings, and I will help you with them. You may come Wednesday, and
Saturday evenings, and perhaps you can win promotion, so as to climb
steadily up to a class of your own age."
"Do you think I _could?_" he asked.
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