Owing to her father's departure, there had been plenty of material for sentences in her grammar lesson.
All the child's answers to his questions had come so promptly to-day that the teacher had ended his lesson on the stroke of the hour.

He also gave Cornelli special praise for the excellent work she had done.
Then he heartily shook her hand.
The two were the best of friends and the teacher knew his pupil well.
Whenever she was very bright and lively, he would work very hard with her and in a short time accomplish three times more than usual.

In order not to spoil their mutual pleasure he would let her off most punctually.

But whenever Cornelli was absent-minded and unwilling to work, he progressed slowly and carefully, treating her as if she were the least bit weak minded.
He would keep up this procedure till the hand of the clock showed a quarter, a half, or even three-quarters of an hour more than the set time for the lessons.

Then Cornelli had hardly more than a quarter of an hour's time before lunch to run over to the garden, the stable and the hen house, something she always planned to do.