ning with her father stood her in excellent stead, and
she was able to give a vivid account of the Spanish Armada and of other
great events in the reign of good Queen Bess. She felt quite cheerful
and hopeful as she wrote her answers, expressing them in good English,
and taking great pains to be correct with regard to spelling. At last
they were finished. She slipped them into her envelope, put them back
in her desk, and left the room. As she did so she passed Florence,
whose cheeks were flushed like peonies, and who was bending in some
despair over her paper, for Florence was well known in the school to be
ignorant as regarded all matters connected with history, although she
was smart enough in her own line.

"Poor Florry, I am sorry for her," thought Kitty. Then she went away
to her room and employed her spare time writing a long letter to her
father, and did not give Florence any more thought.

Meanwhile Mabel and Alice Cunningham, Mary Bateman, Bertha Kennedy, and
Edith King, one and all answered the English History questions; they
slipped them into envelopes, and put them into their desks. They also
left the room, and Florence was alone in the school-room.

When she found herself so she threw back her head, uttered a great
yawn, and then glanced in despair at the ten very comprehensive
questions set by Sir John Wallis.

"I shall never answer them," she said to herself; "it is quite
impossible. I have not the faintest idea what he means by question
five, for instance. She hated Mary Queen of Scots, I know that, and
she got her to be imprisoned, I know that also; but what is the story
in connection with the Earl of Leicester? I cannot, cannot remember
it. Oh, how tiresome, how more than tiresome--this may lose me my
chance with the lucky three, for Alice Cunningham is trying quite hard,
and Edith King is having a regular fight over the matter; and of
course, there is no doubt that Kitty Sharston will be elected to try
for the Scholarship, but I--yes, I must be elected--I will; but what
shall I do?"

Florence paced restlessly up and down the school-room. As she did so
she suddenly perceived with a quickening of her heart's pulses that
Kitty through an oversight had left the key in her desk; all the other
girls had locked their desks; but Kitty, who was generally careful
enough in this matter, had left the key in hers.

Nothing in all the world would be easier than for Florence to open
Kitty's desk, t