little pwick. Now, I want to shoot stwaight at that oak twee, or would
you mind awfu', Apollo, if I was to shoot at you?"

"All right," replied Apollo; "you may aim at my hand, if you like." He
walked about a dozen yards away and held up his hand.

Diana made valiant efforts, and grew crimson in the face, but the
arrow still went wide of the mark.

CHAPTER XI.

JOG'APHY.

The next day lessons began with a vengeance. It was one thing for the
four Delaney children to work with Miss Stevenson at the old Manor
House. Lessons in mother's time were rather pleasant than otherwise;
as often as not they were conducted in the garden, and when the day
happened to be very hot, and the little people somewhat impatient of
restraint, Miss Stevenson gave them a certain amount of liberty; but
lessons at the Rectory were an altogether different matter. Miss
Ramsay, when she awoke the next day, had seemed emphatically to have
put on all her armor. During the holiday, neither Orion nor Diana,
neither Apollo nor Iris, thought Miss Ramsay of any special account.
They stared a good deal at Uncle Dolman, and they watched Aunt Jane
with anxious eyes, but Miss Ramsay did not matter, one way or the
other. The next day, however, they came to have a totally different
opinion with regard to her.

At breakfast, on the following morning, whenever Diana opened her
rosebud lips, she was told that she must not speak unless she could do
so in the French tongue. Now, all that Diana could manage to say in
French was 'Oui' and 'Non,' nor was she very certain when to say
either of these very simple words. She hated being silent, for she was
a very talkative, cheery little body, except when she was angry.
Accordingly, the meal was a depressing one, and Diana began to yawn
and to look wearily out on the sunshiny garden before it was
half-finished. But, of course, there was no play in the garden for any
of the children that morning. Immediately after breakfast they all
went up to the schoolroom. Now, the schoolroom was a very pleasant
room, nicely and suitably furnished, but in summer it was hot, and on
very sunshiny days it was painfully hot; its single large bay window
faced due south, and the sun poured in relentlessly all during the
hours of morning school. Miss Ramsay, seated at the head of the
baize-covered table with her spectacles on, looked decidedly
formidable, and each of the children gazed at their governess with
anxious eyes. Mary a