at
they were in prison! They had their wants supplied by their native
land."

"I'm not going to do sums about convicts! My mother wouldn't like it,"
said Dorothy, shutting up her book with a bang. She leaned forward, and
whispered in Rhoda's ear, "Don't bother; it's only another joke. What's
the use of worrying for nothing?"

"It's practice," said Rhoda, and away went her pencil, scribbling,
calculating, piling up row upon row of figures. To her joy the answer
came out the same as Irene's, which surely must prove it right; yet, as
Dorothy had prophesied, Tom was once more sweeping in denunciation,
"Wrong! Wrong! All wrong! The gold-mine failed, and left A a pauper,
while B lived happily ever after. You are old enough to know that gold-
mines that pay eighteen per cent, invariably _do_ fail and ruin their
shareholders; or if you don't, you may be thankful to me for telling
you. I must say, young ladies, you are coming exceedingly poorly
through my test. I cannot congratulate you on your insight. I doubt
whether it is any use examining you any further."

"Oh, yes, let us have the higher branches, Tom! Do let us have the
higher branches! Who knows? Perhaps we may distinguish ourselves at
last. Give us another chance!" pleaded the girls, mockingly; and, thus
challenged, Tom could not but consent. She tackled Zoology, and giving
the three divisions of Plantigrada, Pinnigrada, and Digitigrada, added a
list of animals to be classified accordingly. When it is said that the
list included such widely diverging creatures as "A camel-leopard, a
duck-billed platypus, Thomasina Bolderston, and Spring-heeled Jack," it
can be imagined with what zest the pupils began their replies.

Tom professed to be mortified beyond endurance to find her fairy tread
unanimously classed under the first heading, and begged the Blues to
take notice that if any girl pined to call her "splay-footed" to her
face she might do so, and take the consequences! No one accepted the
challenge, however; so she proceeded to Latin, and, with much jingling
of keys, gave out a sentence for translation:--

"Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem." The girls smiled at
this, confident of their powers. The students at Hurst prided
themselves on their Latin, and could have stood a much severer test
without wavering. The seniors did not trouble to write their answers,
but waited complacently until the time came when they should have an
oppo