ther little dissipations to break the monotony of school life; the
summer term was arranged specially to allow extra time out-of-doors; but
from January to April the girls were expected to put their shoulders to
the wheel, and commit to memory such a number of pages in their
textbooks, that Avis declared it amounted to hard labour.

"The worst of it is," she complained, "that each teacher expects you to
give all your time to her particular subject. Miss Harper looks
reproachful if I can't say my history, and Miss Rowe scolds if I miss in
my grammar. Then Mademoiselle gives me yards of French poetry and two or
three irregular verbs to learn, and Miss Lincoln asks me why my essay is
so short. I could spend the whole of prep. over just one lesson, and
then not know it properly in the end. Unless I take my books to bed, I
can't possibly get through everything that's set me."

"You should do as I do," said Enid. "I learn the beginning of the
history portion almost by heart. Then I look very intelligent and
attentive, and when Miss Harper asks me a question, I rattle off a long
answer nearly word for word from the book, at such a tremendous rate
that she can scarcely follow me, and says, 'That will do, Enid'. It
makes her think I know the whole lesson, and she keeps questioning the
other girls who've hesitated and stumbled."

"She'll catch you some day," said Winnie. "Miss Harper's too clever to
be taken in by any such tricks. She's sure to ask you a question at the
end quite unexpectedly, and what will you do then?"

"Trust to luck," said Enid. "She'll perhaps think I've forgotten for
once. I manage my essays for Miss Lincoln rather well, too. When I can't
remember any facts I make up a line or two of appropriate poetry, and
put 'as the poet says'. It fills up splendidly. Miss Lincoln said once
she didn't recognize all my quotations, but she always gives me a high
mark!"

"You can't do that kind of thing with Mademoiselle," said Avis.

"No, I own it would be no use to try. When one has forty lines of French
poetry to recite, one's obliged to set to work and get it into one's
head. But I mean to manage better in the conversation class. My eldest
sister has just come home from Paris, and she's taught me the French for
'How is your throat?' and 'Do you feel a draught?' Mademoiselle always
has a cold, and wants the window shut. She'll think I'm so sympathetic,
and be sure to put 'excellent' in my report."

"I can manage F