nd Lucy were always good little girls, but Philip
and Conrad were as idle as boys could possibly be, and did their
utmost to evade Miss Ramsay's endeavors to instill learning into their
small heads. Orion sat between his two little boy cousins, but for
some reason or other Orion did not look well that morning. His little
face, not unlike Diana's in appearance, was bloated, his eyes were
heavy, he had scarcely touched his breakfast, and he earnestly, most
earnestly longed to get out of the hot schoolroom.

Miss Ramsay, when all the little people were seated round her, knocked
sharply on the table with her ruler, and proceeded to make a speech.
"My dear old pupils," she said, looking at the five little Dolmans as
she spoke, "on account of your cousins, who, I fear, are ignorant
little children, I mean on this occasion to speak to you in the
English tongue. I have now got nine pupils to instruct, and nine
pupils are a great many for one person to teach. Your mother,
however, has promised that the master from the village shall come up
to instruct you all in arithmetic, and your French master and your
music master will, of course, attend here as usual. I trust,
therefore, that by more attention on the part of my pupils I may be
able to continue the heavy task which I have undertaken. What I want
to impress upon you children"--here she turned abruptly to the little
Delaneys--"is that lessons are lessons, and play is play. During
lesson-time I allow _no_ wandering thoughts, I allow no attempts at
shirking your duties. The tasks I set you will be carefully chosen
according to your different abilities, and I can assure you beforehand
that learned they must be. If I find that they are not carefully
prepared I shall punish you. By being attentive, by making the best of
your time, you can easily get through the lessons appointed you, and
then when they are over I hope you will thoroughly enjoy your time of
play. Now, all of you sit quiet. We will begin with a lesson from
English history."

Miss Ramsay then began to lecture in her usual style. She was really
an excellent teacher, and Iris found what she said very interesting.
She began to tell about the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and she made
that time quite live to the intelligent little girl. But Apollo had
not nearly come to the reign of Elizabeth in his English history. He,
consequently, could not follow the story, and soon began to look out
of the window, and to count the flie