not take liberties; Flora made him drink some
tea; and Richard placed morsels in his way, while he read his letters.
He ran up for a final look at Margaret, almost upset the staid Miss
Winter as he ran down again, called Richard to take the reins, and was
off.

It was French day, always a trial to Ethel. M. Ballompre, the master,
knew what was good and bad French, but could not render a reason,
and Ethel, being versed in the principles of grammar, from her Latin
studies, chose to know the why and wherefore of his corrections--she did
not like to see her pages defaced, and have no security against future
errors; while he thought her a troublesome pupil, and was put out by
her questions. They wrangled, Miss Winter was displeased, and Ethel felt
injured.

Mary's inability to catch the pronunciation, and her hopeless dull look
when she found that coeur must not be pronounced cour, nor cur, but
something between, to which her rosy English lips could never come--all
this did not tease M. Ballompre, for he was used to it.

His mark for Ethel's lesson was "de l'humeur."

"I am sorry," said Miss Winter, when he was gone. "I thought you had
outgrown that habit of disputing over every phrase."

"I can't tell how a language is to be learned without knowing the
reasons of one's mistakes," said Ethel.

"That is what you always say, my dear. It is of no use to renew it all,
but I wish you would control yourself. Now, Mary, call Blanche, and you
and Ethel take your arithmetic."

So Flora went to read to Margaret, while Blanche went lightly and
playfully through her easy lessons, and Mary floundered piteously over
the difficulties of Compound Long Division. Ethel's mind was in too
irritated and tumultuous a state for her to derive her usual solace from
Cube Root. Her sum was wrong, and she wanted to work it right, but Miss
Winter, who had little liking for the higher branches of arithmetic,
said she had spent time enough over it, and summoned her to an
examination such as the governess was very fond of and often practised.
Ethel thought it useless, and was teased by it; and though her answers
were chiefly correct, they were given in an irritated tone. It was of
this kind:--

What is the date of the invention of paper?
What is the latitude and longitude of Otaheite?
What are the component parts of brass?
Whence is cochineal imported?

When this was over, Ethel had to fetch her mending-bask