Of course my father and mother were delighted.

My father patted me on the head, and said, "I knew he could be diligent, if he chose." And my mother kissed me, and called me her brave boy; so altogether I felt very virtuous, and rather pitied Jim, who was six from the top, though he spent longer over his sums than I did.
But, alas! after the first fortnight, the novelty of Mrs Sparrow's school wore off.

Instead of pegging along briskly to be in time, I pulled up once or twice on the road to investigate the wonders of a confectioner's window, or watch the men harness the horses for the omnibus, till suddenly I would discover I had only five minutes to get to school in time, and so had to run for my life the rest of the way, only overtaking Jim on the very doorstep.

Gradually my dawdling became more prolonged, until one day I found myself actually late.

Mrs Sparrow frowned, Jim looked frightened, my own heart beat for terror, and I heard the awful sentence pronounced, "You must go to the bottom of the class." I made up my mind this should be the last occasion on which such a penalty should be mine.