for the girls to keep all
sorts of absurd mascots inside their desks, the collecting and
comparison of which afforded them huge satisfaction. Now Miss Strong
happened to be lecturing on "The Age of Elizabeth," a subject so
congenial to her that she was generally most interesting. But to-day she
had reached a rather dry and arid portion of that famous reign, and even
her powers of description failed for once and the lesson became a mere
catalogue of events and dates. Ingred, bored stiff with listening,
secretly opened her desk, and, taking a selection of treasures from it,
began to fondle them surreptitiously upon her lap. It was, of course, a
quite illegal thing to do. She glanced at them occasionally, but for the
most part kept her eyes upon her teacher. Beatrice, however, who sat
near and had an excellent view of Ingred's lap, gazed at it with such
persistent and marked attention that she attracted the notice of Miss
Strong, who followed the direction of her looks and pounced upon the
offender.

"Ingred Saxon, what have you there? Bring those things to me immediately
and put them on my desk!"

With a crimson face Ingred obeyed, and handed over into the teacher's
custody:

1. A black velvet cat.

2. A small golliwog.

3. A piece of four-leaved clover.

4. A stone with a hole in it.

5. An ivory pig.

Miss Strong smiled cynically.

"At fifteen years of age," she remarked, "I should have thought a girl
would have advanced a little further than playthings of this
description. The Kindergarten would evidently be a more fit form for you
than Va! You lose five order marks."

Five order marks! Ingred gasped with amazed indignation. One at a time
was the usual forfeit, but to lose five "at one fell swoop" seemed
excessive, and would make a considerable difference to her weekly
record. She blazed against the injustice. No girl in the form had ever
had so severe punishment.

"Oh, Miss Strong!" she protested hotly. "_Five!_ I haven't really done
anything more than heaps of the others. It's not fair!"

Now if Ingred had really hoped to get her sentence remitted she could
not have done a more absolutely suicidal thing. A mistress may overlook
some faults, but she will not stand "cheek." The discipline of the form
was at stake, and Miss Strong was not a mistress to be trifled with. Her
little figure absolutely quivered with dignity, and though physically
she was shorter than her pupil, morally s