could be found something tangible. Her thoughts had been in the
dining room for the past five minutes, consequently she was not aware
that Sally had surreptitiously reached toward her from the seat behind,
laid hold of about eighteen inches of the lacing of her Peter Thomson
(dangling as usual) and while Petty Gaylord, sitting next Sally, was
secretly reading a letter concealed behind her book, had made fast
Electra's Peter Thomson lacing to Petty's boot lacing, _likewise_ adrift,
and then soberly awaited developments.

Sally could manage to do more things unobserved than any other girl in
the school, though she had found a fair rival in Beverly.

Thus lay the train "of things as they ought (not) to be" when Miss Baylis
fired her first shot at poor Electra.

"Electra suppose you return to _this_ world of facts,--you seem to be in
dreamland at present--and tell me who brought a rather unpleasant
notoriety upon himself at this period."

Electra returned to England and English affairs at a bound. But to which
period was Miss Baylis referring? Electra had not the ghost of an idea
but would make a stab at it any way.

"Why-er-oh, it was-er-the man who made extensive use of bricks in the
House of Commons," she ventured at random.

"What?" demanded Miss Baylis, utterly bewildered.

"Yes, ma'am. I mean yes, Miss Baylis. I can't remember his name but he
did. I learned that by heart last night at study period," staunchly
asserted Electra, sure for once in her life of her point, for hadn't she
_read_ those very words?

"Of 'bricks'?" repeated Miss Baylis.

"Yes m--, Miss Baylis."

Miss Baylis' eyes snapped as much as any pair of colorless blue eyes set
too close together can snap. One of the many hopeless tasks which she had
undertaken with Electra had been to banish from her vocabulary that
impossible "ma'am", yet like Banquo's ghost it refused to be laid.

"Open your book at that page and read the sentence," commanded the
history teacher.

Electra obediently did as bidden and read glibly.

"'He made extensive use of----'" and just there came to an embarrassed
halt as a titter went around the schoolroom.

"Silence!" Miss Baylis' tone of voice did not encourage levity. "Well?"
she interrogated crisply.

"It's _bribes_, Miss Baylis," said poor Electra, covered with confusion
and blushes.

"Exactly. The greatest simpleton would understand that. Are you more
familiar with bricks than bribes?" It was a cruel thrust