me
red in the face as the disposition to laugh grew stronger.

"Wouldn't take half so much to make one for my brother Tom as it would
for--"

"Silence!" exclaimed the inspector, and Feelier Potts pretended to look
very much alarmed, drawing her eyes together towards her nose and nearly
making Ann Straggalls titter as the inspector stooped for a fresh entry.

Hazel's attention was here taken up by another class, for, being left
unattended, the girls began to grow restive.

"Now," said the inspector, "I will ask you another question, my good
girls. Can any one tell me what proportion the gusset bears to the
whole shirt? The girl who knows put out her hand."

Miss Rebecca had been hoping that Mr Slingsby Barracombe would enter
upon some other branch of education; but he clung to the needlework, and
smiled approvingly as half-a-dozen, and then two more hands were thrust
out.

"Well," he said, "suppose you tell me."

"Three yards," said the first girl.

"You do not apprehend my question, my good child," said the inspector
blandly. "I asked what proportion the gusset bore to the whole of the
shirt."

"Please, sir, I know, sir," said Feelier Potts, who was standing with
her hand pointing straight at the visitor.

"Then tell us," said the inspector, smiling.

"Four yards!" cried Feelier triumphantly.

"I said what proportion, my good girl; do you not know what I mean by
proportion?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, what!"

"Rule o' three sums, same as boys learn."

"Tut-tut-tut! this is very sad," said the inspector, shaking his head, a
motion that seemed to be infectious, for it was taken up by Miss
Rebecca, communicated to Miss Beatrice, and then caught up by little
Miss Burge, whose head-shaking was, however, meant to be in sympathy
with Hazel.

"I wish he'd let me ask the girls some queshtuns, Betsey," whispered Mr
William Forth Burge, as he saw the inspector's pencil going; "I could
make them answer better than that."

But the visitor had no intention of choosing a deputy, and he went on
asking several more questions of a similar class, relating to cutting
out and making up, not one of which produced a satisfactory answer; and
the vicar looked very grave as he saw entries that he knew to be
unfavourable made with the gold pencil-case.

Then the girls had to read, and got on better; but as soon as the
inspector began to ask scriptural questions the class appeared to have
run wild, and the answers were of t