lecture and examine you, instead of her. Why couldn't you come, directly
Jean told you?'

Barbara turned a little red and tried to look unconcerned, in which she
signally failed. 'I think,' she said, 'that you'd better ask Jean.'

Margaret looked at her sharply, and muttered something that sounded
uncommonly like 'Little beast!' which seemed to the child rather more
than she deserved, considering that it was really Jean's fault and not
hers at all. She was rather surprised at the head girl's next words,
which seemed quite gentle by comparison.

'Why, you look blue with cold, child,' she remarked, and drew her round
by the fire. 'Now, stand there, and tell me what history books you have
been using.'

'I haven't used any,' answered Babs. 'I haven't had any history lessons,
you see.'

'Do you mean to say you know nothing about the history of England--nothing
about wars or kings or laws, or any of those things?' inquired Margaret,
raising her eyebrows.

Barbara's face brightened. 'Oh, yes,' she said, 'I know all about _them_
from father, and the British Museum, and books. I didn't know that was
history.'

Margaret was a little puzzled. The examination of this new girl looked
as though it were going to present difficulties. 'What kind of books?'
she asked doubtfully.

'Lots of kinds,' answered Barbara, glibly. 'Napier's _History of the
Peninsular War_, and somebody else's _History of the Anglo-Saxons_, and
another one called _The Four Georges_, and--and--oh, that long stuffy
one, cut up into volumes, with ever so many funny words in it, called
_Cromwell's Life and_----'

'That's enough,' cried Margaret, and she looked in amazement at the small
animated face of the new girl. 'I--I think that will do for history,'
she went on hastily. 'Now, what about geography? I suppose you know the
elements, so I won't----'

'What's elements?' interrupted Babs.

'Well, the beginning part,' explained the head girl--'the part that tells
you the meaning of islands and volcanoes and earthquakes, and what the
world is like inside, and things about the moon and the----'

'But all _that_ is in Jules Verne's story-books,' remarked Babs. 'Of
course I've read Jules Verne. Is that what you call elements? I like
elements, then, especially the _Journey to the Centre of_----'

'Oh, I say, do stop,' interrupted Margaret, biting her lip. She was
divided between perplexity and amusement, and she wished that the
head-mistress had stayed to e