orn at those who have put the worst
candidate at the top; arranging them as "Zuzu, Mimi, Lolo." They are
GRAECIA, M. M., OLD CAT, and R. E. X. "'Tis Greece, but----."

The third set have avoided both these enormities, and have even
succeeded in putting the worst last, their answer being "Lolo, Mimi,
Zuzu." Their names are AYR (who also appears among the "quite too too"),
CLIFTON C., F. B., FIFEE, GRIG, JANET, and MRS. SAIREY GAMP. F. B. has
not fallen into the common error; she _multiplies_ together the
proportionate numbers she gets, but in getting them she goes wrong, by
reckoning warmth as a _de_-merit. Possibly she is "Freshly Burnt," or
comes "From Bombay." JANET and MRS. SAIREY GAMP have also avoided this
error: the method they have adopted is shrouded in mystery--I scarcely
feel competent to criticize it. MRS. GAMP says "if Zuzu makes 4 while
Lolo makes 3, Zuzu makes 6 while Lolo makes 5 (bad reasoning), while
Mimi makes 2." From this she concludes "therefore Zuzu excels in speed
by 1" (_i.e._ when compared with Lolo; but what about Mimi?). She then
compares the 3 kinds of excellence, measured on this mystic scale. JANET
takes the statement, that "Lolo makes 5 while Mimi makes 2," to prove
that "Lolo makes 3 while Mimi makes 1 and Zuzu 4" (worse reasoning than
MRS. GAMP'S), and thence concludes that "Zuzu excels in speed by 1/8"!
JANET should have been ADELINE, "mystery of mysteries!"

The fourth set actually put Mimi at the top, arranging them as "Mimi,
Zuzu, Lolo." They are MARQUIS AND CO., MARTREB, S. B. B. (first initial
scarcely legible: _may_ be meant for "J"), and STANZA.

The fifth set consist of AN ANCIENT FISH and CAMEL. These ill-assorted
comrades, by dint of foot and fin, have scrambled into the right answer,
but, as their method is wrong, of course it counts for nothing. Also AN
ANCIENT FISH has very ancient and fishlike ideas as to _how_ numbers
represent merit: she says "Lolo gains 2-1/2 on Mimi." Two and a half
_what_? Fish, fish, art thou in thy duty?

Of the five winners I put BALBUS and THE ELDER TRAVELLER slightly below
the other three--BALBUS for defective reasoning, the other for scanty
working. BALBUS gives two reasons for saying that _addition_ of marks is
_not_ the right method, and then adds "it follows that the decision must
be made by _multiplying_ the marks together." This is hardly more
logical than to say "This is not Spring: _therefore_ it must be Autumn."

CLASS LIST.

I.