r any special examination, or just taking it easily?"

"I'm going in for the Oxford Senior in summer. My birthday is so
horribly arranged that it comes just one week before the limit. A few
days later would give me a year to the good, but as it is it's my last
chance. If I can only scrape through in preliminaries I am not afraid
of the rest, but I am hopelessly bad in arithmetic. I add up with all
my fingers, and even then the result comes wrong; and when so much
depends upon it I know I shall get flurried and be worse than ever."

"The great thing is to keep cool. If you don't lose your head, I
shouldn't wonder if the excitement helped you. Say to yourself, `_Don't
be a fool_!' and _make_ yourself keep quiet," quoth Miss Rhoda, with an
air of wisdom which evidently impressed her hearers. They glanced first
at her and then at each other, and the glance said plainly as words
could speak that here was a girl who had strength of mind--a girl who
would make her mark in the school!

"I'll try!" said Kathleen, meekly. "I am terribly anxious about this
exam., for if I do well and pass better than any one else in the school
I shall get a scholarship of L40 towards next year's fees. That would
be a great help to my parents, for they are poor, and have only sent me
here that I may have a chance of getting on and being able to teach some
day. I should be so thankful if I could help, for it's horrid to know
the people at home are stinting themselves for your sake. I lie awake
at nights imagining that the report is in, and I am first, and then I
write a long letter home and tell them about it. Each time I invent a
fresh letter, and they are so touching, you can't think! I cried over
one, one night, and Tom came round to see what was the matter. At other
times I imagine I'm plucked, and I go cold all over; I think I should
_die_! Never mind, nine months yet! I'll work like a slave, and if I
_do_ fail no one can say it's my own fault."

"You won't fail. Don't imagine anything so horrible! You will get over
your nervousness and do splendidly, and write your letter in real
earnest," cried Dorothy cheerily. "I am going in for the Oxford too,
but you need fear no rival in me. I am one of those deadly,
uninteresting creatures, who never reach anything but a fair medium.
There isn't a `distinction' in me, and one could never be first at that
rate. A scrape-through pass is all _I'm_ good for!"

"I could get two disti