One day she turned him to the paraphrases.2 At once, to his astonishment, he found there, all silent, yet still the same delight which Donal used to divide to him from the book of ballants.His joy was unbounded.He jumped from his seat; he danced, and laughed, and finally stood upon one leg: no other mode of expression but this, the expression of utter failure to express, was of avail to the relief of his feeling.
One day, a few weeks after Gibbie had begun to read by himself, Janet became aware that he was sitting on his stool, in what had come to be called the cratur's corner, more than usually absorbed in some attempt with slate and pencil--now ceasing, lost in thought, and now commencing anew.She went near and peeped over his shoulder.At the top of the slate he had written the word give, then the word giving, and below them, gib, then gibing; upon these followed gib again, and he was now plainly meditating something further.Suddenly he seemed to find what he wanted, for in haste, almost as if he feared it might escape him, he added a y, making the word giby--then first lifted his head, and looked round, evidently seeking her.She laid her hand on his head.He jumped up with one of his most radiant smiles, and holding out the slate to her, pointed with his pencil to the word he had just completed.She did not know it for a word, but sounded it as it seemed to stand, making the g soft, as I daresay some of my readers, not recognizing in Gibbie the diminutive of Gilbert, may have treated its more accurate form.He shook his head sharply, and laid the point of his pencil upon the g of the give written above.Janet had been his teacher too long not to see what he meant, and immediately pronounced the word as he would have it.Upon this he began a wild dance, but sobering suddenly, sat down, and was instantly again absorbed in further attempt.It lasted so long that Janet resumed her previous household occupation.At length he rose, and with thoughtful, doubtful contemplation of what he had done, brought her the slate.
There, under the fore-gone success, he had written the words galatians and breath, and under them, galbreath.She read them all, and at the last, which, witnessing to his success, she pronounced to his satisfaction, he began another dance, which again he ended abruptly, to draw her attention once more to the slate.He pointed to the giby first, and the galbreath next, and she read them together.This time he did not dance, but seemed waiting some result.Upon Janet the idea was dawning that he meant himself, but she was thrown out by the cognomen's correspondence with that of the laird, which suggested that the boy had been merely attempting the name of the great man of the district.With this in her mind, and doubtfully feeling her way, she essayed the tentative of setting him right in the Christian name, and said: "Thomas--Thomas Galbraith."Gibbie shook his head as before, and again resumed his seat.
