there any possibility
of--"

"No," Cecil said shortly. "And the regiment is going into camp, so he
will be out of town. I'm not bothering my head about holidays--quite
enough to do with this wretched Matric. The Head is keen to make a good
show this year, for the Dulwich School beat us last year, and, as usual,
all the responsibility and all the blame is put on the poor mistresses.
You can't make girls work if they don't want, you can't cram their
brains when they've no brains to cram; but those wretched examiners send
a record of all the marks, so you can see exactly where they fall short.
Woe betide the mistress who is responsible for that branch! I wouldn't
mind prophesying that if the German doesn't come out better than last
year, Fraulein will be packed off. I wouldn't be too sure of myself.
I've done all right so far, but the Head is not as devoted to me as she
might be. I don't think she'd be sorry to have an excuse for getting
rid of me. That's one of the delightful aspects of our position--we are
absolutely at the mercy of a woman who, from sheer force of
circumstances, becomes more of an autocrat every year. The Committee
listen to her, and accept every word she says; the staff know better
than to dispute a single order. We'd stand on our head in rows if she
made it a rule! The pupils scuttle like rabbits when they see her
coming, and cheer themselves hoarse every time she speaks. No human
woman can live in that atmosphere for years and keep a cool head!"

"She's rather a dear, though, all the same!" Claire said loyally. She
had been hurt by the lack of personal interest which Miss Farnborough
showed in the different members of her staff, but she was unwilling to
brand her as a heartless tyrant. "Anyway," she added hastily, "you are
not satisfied here. If you were going on teaching I should have thought
you'd be glad of a change. It would be easy to get another school."

Mary Rhodes looked at her; a long eloquent glance.

"With a good testimonial--yes! Without a good testimonial--no! A
testimonial for twelve years' work depends on one woman, remember--on
her prejudice or good nature, on the mood in which she happens to be on
one particular day. It might read quite differently because she
happened to have a chill on her liver."

"My dear! there _is_ a sense of justice! There is such a thing as
honesty."

"My dear, I agree. Even so, would you dare to say that the wording of a
testimon