Ben was glad to know there were decent teachers out there. He had left school within a month or two, in part because his teacher had no patience with him, and he knew the older children had struggled with that horrible man, Mr. Perry, until the school board had sacked him at last. Nevertheless, being unable to read and chatting in class were quite a different matter from stealing.

Though Uriel told the boy to go, the kid holding two meowing kittens, one black, and one black and white. "Me shilling, ser?"
"Now don't test your luck." Ben scolded.