vicar. "Her Majesty's inspector will be here on
Thursday, and I shall feel it deeply if you do not receive a highly
commendatory report."

"We hope--my sister and I--Miss Thorne," said Miss Lambent with
asperity, "that the girls will acquit themselves well. Some of their
needlework has of late been terribly full of gobble stitches."

"And so disgustingly grubby," put in Miss Beatrice.

"That it has not been fit to be seen. Pray--pray--I implore you. Miss
Thorne--pray be more energetic with the girls."

"Don't you bother yourself, my dear," said Miss Burge. "My brother says
he hopes the girls will all show up well, for your sake as well as the
school's; but don't you bother yourself, my dear. You've just worked
like a slave and done no end. Now let it all slide. If the girls
answer well, they do; if they don't answer well, they don't. 'Taint
your fault, so don't you worry. We're both coming to the inspection,
and my brother says if there's any nonsense and fault-finding with the
inspector he shall give him a bit of his mind. He don't believe in
inspectors, don't Bill. He says there was never any inspectors in his
time that he knows of, and if all the boys turn out as well as he did,
there won't be much to grumble about; so don't you fidget, but take it
as coolly as you can."

"I say, how are you getting on!" said Mr Chute, popping his head in at
the door. "Can't stop, because I expect Lambent; and if I do come in,
it will be cats. You know."

"Cats? I know?" said Hazel, staring at the lumpy front of Mr Chute,
and noticing that his hair seemed to have come up more than ever.

"Yes, of course--cats! I mean Becky and Beatrice--Rebel and Tricksy. I
call them the cats. Don't tell 'em I called 'em so; but I'm not a bit
afraid of that. Don't feel nervous about the inspection, do you?"

"I do feel a little nervous Mr Chute."

"So does my mother. She's in a regular fidget for fear I shouldn't do
well; but as I said to her, what does it matter? When a man has done
his best with his school, why, he can't do any better, can he?"

"No; certainly not," replied Hazel, for Mr Chute was gazing at her in
his peculiarly irritating way, his head a little on one side and his
nose pointing, as if he meant to have an answer out of her if it was not
soon forthcoming.

"I think my boys are all well up, and if they don't answer sharp they've
got me to deal with afterwards, and they'll hear of it, I can tell 'em.