tely offered her.

"I have come this morning, girls, to say a few words to you," began the
Principal. "I have examined your marks for the last three weeks, and
also the list of the viva voce examination that you had yesterday. I
wish to tell you that I am extremely dissatisfied. I have never seen
such a low average from the Fourth Form, and I am sure that you are
none of you doing your best. I cannot possibly allow such a state of
affairs to continue; it is a disgrace to the school! I am greatly
disappointed, as I had hoped for better things from you. It has been a
very hard task for Miss Webb, who kindly came to help us in an
emergency, to take up another teacher's work at so short a notice, and I
believed that you would have realized her difficulties, and have made an
effort to help her in every way in your power. Instead of this, you
appear to have taken advantage of Miss Bardsley's absence to neglect
your work. As I cannot trust you to do your preparation adequately and
thoroughly in your own classroom, I am going to make a new arrangement,
and you will bring your books each evening into the lecture-hall, and
sit with the Sixth Form, when I can myself see that you are not wasting
your time. I have also asked Miss Webb to bring me the register at the
end of each morning. I shall check your marks, and any girl who, as I
consider, has fallen below her usual standard, will stay indoors during
the afternoon, to learn the lessons in which she has failed."

If Miss Drummond looked grave, the Form looked utterly crestfallen and
ashamed. The girls sat perfectly still, gazing at their desks, for
nobody dared to meet the Principal's eyes. As for Aldred, she was filled
with blank dismay. It was bad enough to be scolded for ill-prepared
work, but what was going to happen when Miss Drummond got up from her
chair? That she hardly dared to guess, and she would have given
everything she possessed if she could have recalled her silly act. She
was kept for some time in suspense, as the head mistress called for
their exercise-books, and insisted upon examining them all minutely,
and asking various searching and awkward questions as to the reason for
so many mistakes and misspelt words, and such bad writing. The Fourth
Form had never endured such an unpleasant quarter of an hour, and
Aldred, between her present discomfiture and her apprehension of what
was to come, felt as if she were passing out of the frying-pan into the
fire.

The