Day after day the teacher went through this regular routine.

He sauntered slowly and listlessly through the aisles, and among the benches of the room, wherever he saw the signal of a pen.

He paid, of course, very little attention to the writing, now and then reproving, with an impatient tone, some extraordinary instance of carelessness, or leaving his work to suppress some rising disorder.

Ordinarily, however, he seemed to be lost in vacancy of thought, dreaming, perhaps, of other scenes, or inwardly repining at the eternal monotony and tedium of a teacher's life.

His boys took no interest in their work, and of course made no progress.