-blank.
It all goes straight out of my head, and it's just coming back to me by
the time the next girl is answering."

"Viva voces really are not fair," grumbled Myfanwy. "The nervous ones
always do badly, however much they know."

"And when you don't know, it's still worse!" continued Lorna. "Miss
Bardsley never gives them, at any rate, and that's quite sufficient
reason why Miss Webb shouldn't."

"I call it quite impertinent for a temporary teacher to make such an
innovation!" said Ursula loftily.

"Especially when Miss Bardsley is a B.A., and Miss Webb hasn't been to
college."

"Yes. She has no business to alter any of our Form arrangements. We told
her what we were accustomed to do, and she ought to stick to that,
instead of introducing her own ways."

However much the girls might murmur in private, they could not openly
rebel, or refuse to submit to the examination. It never struck any of
them to take their books and set to work during recreation time, to try
to make up arrears. They much preferred to grumble, and bewail their
hard luck.

"I hope she'll begin with literature and physical geography," said
Phoebe. "I can manage fairly well with those, because it's easy enough
to give examples of a dactyl and hexameters, or to describe a volcano;
but when it comes to Roman chronology, I shall be done for! I can't
remember the dates in the least, or the right order of the battles, or
the names of the generals."

"We must try to spin out the first part," suggested Aldred. "We'll
answer as slowly as we possibly can, and then there won't be so much
time left for the Roman history. We can't go on again after eleven,
because of the singing class and science."

"That's a good idea! Will everyone please remember not to hurry? I
wonder if I could manage to drawl like Lorna?" chuckled Phoebe. "She
always takes twice as long as anyone else to bring out her remarks!"

"I don't!" protested Lorna.

"Yes, you do. You needn't be so indignant; it's an accomplishment that
we're all envying just at present, and longing to acquire!"

Preparation that evening, which ought to have been devoted to a steady
recapitulation of forgotten dates and events, was conducted with the
half-heartedness into which, under Miss Webb's slack rule, the attention
of the class had unfortunately degenerated. The girls learnt with one
eye on their books and the other on their neighbours; they made signs,
talked on their fingers, and passed notes