"Glad to hear ye say it," responded Ethan, who, in spite of his apparent contempt for Tom's studies, was nevertheless interested far more deeply than he cared to show. "I don' know much abeout sech things myself," he continued. "I never read one o' Dickens's plays, nor Shakespeare's neither, for that matter. I had to work fur a livin' in my young days; but Tom here, he has lots o' time, and he jist keeps his nose in a book pretty much all winter. What d'ye think o' it? Will it do him any harm?" he inquired of Mr. Clarke, somewhat anxiously.