"No, it's no good coming to the about that pup, sir--I won't have you keep it." "I came to study, sir," said Pip mildly.

"I feel I'm a bit backward with my mathematics, so I won't waste all the holidays, when I'm costing you so much in school fees." The Captain gave a little gasp and looked hard at Pip; but the boy's face was so unsmiling and earnest that he was disarmed, and actually congratulated himself that his eldest son was at last seeing the error of his ways.
"There are those sets of problems in that drawer that I did when I was at school," he said graciously.

"If they are of any use to you, you can get them out." "Thanks awfully--they will be a great help," said Pip gratefully.
He examined them with admiration plainly depicted upon his face.
"How very clearly and correctly you worked, Father," he said with a sigh.

"I wonder if ever I'll get as good as this! How old were you, Father, when you did them ?" "About your age," said the Captain, picking up the papers.
He examined them with his head on one side.

He was rather proud of them, seeing he had utterly forgotten now how to work decimal fractions, and could not have done a quadratic equation to save his life.
"Still, I don't think you need be quite discouraged, Pip.