was ruffled, and showed it more plainly
than was altogether courteous.

"I'm sorry you're not pleased," he said coldly. "I aim at truthfulness,
you see, and that is what you don't get from a professional photograph.
It's no good wasting time, simply to get oneself disliked. I'll go in
for Nature, and leave the portrait business to somebody else. The girls
can try! They think they can do everything!"

Peggy looked at Esther, and Esther looked at Peggy. They did not say a
word, but a flash of understanding passed from the brown eyes to the
grey, which meant that they were on their mettle. They were not going
to defend themselves, but henceforth it was a case of die or produce a
good photograph, and so oblige Oswald to alter his tone of scornful
incredulity.

For the next week the camera was the one engrossing thought. Every
minute that could be spared was devoted to experiments, so that Fraulein
complained that lessons were suffering in consequence. The hearts of
her pupils were not in their work, she declared; it would be a good
thing if a rule could be made that no more photographs were to be taken
until the Christmas holidays. She looked very fierce and formidable as
she spoke, but soft-hearted Mrs Asplin put in a plea for forgiveness.

"Ah, well, then, have patience for a few days longer," she begged.
"They are just children with a new toy; let them have as much of it as
they will at first, and they will tire of their own accord, and settle
down to work as well as ever. We can control their actions, but not
their thoughts; and I'm afraid if I forbade photography at present, you
would find them no more interested in lessons. I fancy there is
something especially engrossing on hand this week, and we might as well
let them have it out."

Even Mrs Asplin, however, hardly realised the thoroughness with which
the girls were setting to work to achieve their end. They held a
committee meeting on Esther's bed, sitting perched together in attitudes
of inelegant comfort, with arms encircling their knees, and chins
resting on the clasped hands, wherein it was proposed and seconded that
Peggy, the artistic, should pose and take the sitters, while Esther, the
accurate, should undertake the after-processes.

"And what am I to do?" cried Mellicent plaintively; and her elders
smiled upon her with patronising encouragement.

"You shall wash up all the trays and glasses, and put them neatly away."

"You shall carry