These you will put in your desk.

When you want a pen, you will draw one out of the bunches and use it.

You must not stop to look them over, to choose a good one, but you must take any one that comes first to hand, because, if any one should not be good, the sooner you get it out and try it, and ascertain that it is not good, the sooner you will get it out of the way." "Well," said Marco, "and what shall I do with the bad ones ?" "Wipe them clean,--by the way, you must have a good penwiper,--and then put them together in a particular place in your desk.

When you have thus used one bunch, tie them up and lay the bunch on my desk to be mended, and then you can go on using the other bunch.

This will give me opportunity to choose a convenient time to mend the first bunch again.