IN SUM LAND
“There are seven like that,” said Tare, who was standing at the Fraction’s elbow. “They want you badly to help put the sums right.”
“There must be something wrong with the question,” said Thirteen-fourteenths.
“He says there’s something wrong with the question,” shouted Repeater, who was standing behind the Fraction’s back.
Once more all the heads were lifted from all the desks, and this time all the voices shouted with scornful laughter.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho, ho! He’s a clever chap! No wonder he can’t find the piece of his jacket. He’ll never be a whole number again.”
“Do you think we should have been working at these sums all this time if we had had the right questions?” demanded a boy whose black and white dress, covered with L’s and S’s and D’s, clearly showed he was the Ellessdee Thirteen-fourteenths had expected to find in the buildings.
“If we had had the right questions,” shouted a girl, “our backs and our heads wouldn’t be aching this minute.”
“Anybody can put wrong sums right if they have the right questions,” called several figures.
Thirteen-fourteenths felt sorry and angry too; angry because they were cross with him, and sorry that they were all so tired and worried and miserable. He looked at the paper in front of him.
“Where did this come from?” he demanded, turning to Repeater.
“Where did it come from?” shouted Repeater.
“It was copied from the book,” said Tare.
“The terrible, terrible book, which has made all the work,” said Tret.
“Were all the sums in it like this one?” said Thirteen-fourteenths.
“Mine are worse,” said Ellessdee. “There are pounds divided by pigs, and peas multiplied by shillings. I shall never get mine right.”
85
