ment to spare in prep., so I suppose it will
have to come out of our so-called recreation! Look here, I call this
the very limit!"

"Saturday afternoon's no holiday when we've got to go prowling round a
wretched Roman camp!" mourned Valentine. "What do I care about ancient
earthworks? If they were modern trenches, now, with soldiers in them,
it would be something like! There'll be nothing to see except some
mounds. I suppose we shall have to stand round and listen while she
holds forth, and look 'intelligent' and 'interested'."

"I don't know whether she's going to hold forth herself," said
Aveline. "I hear she's invited several people from an archaeological
society to meet us there, and probably one of them will do the
spouting--some wheezy old gentleman with a bald head, or an elderly
lady in a waterproof and spectacles. One knows the sort!"

"Oh, good biz!" exclaimed Raymonde. "If visitors are coming, Gibbie'll
have to talk to them, and she won't have so much time to look after
us. She's welcome to the bald old boys! Let her have half a dozen if
she wants!"

"You forget you've got to listen to them."

"Oh, I'll listen! At least I'll look serious and politely absorbed.
That's all that's expected."

"In the meantime we've these wretched notes to copy," groused
Katherine.

"Have we? I don't think so! I've got an idea. Maudie Heywood's sure to
make a most beautiful copperplate copy; we'll borrow hers, and just
skim them over to get a kind of general acquaintance with the subject,
sufficient to show 'intelligent interest'. Gibbie won't be able to
question us with those other people there."

"But suppose she asks beforehand to see our notes?"

"I've thought of that. We'll each copy out the first page, and stick
some old exercise sheets behind it. She'll never find out."

The Mystic Seven looked at their leader in admiration. They considered
that on such occasions her resourcefulness amounted to genius. They
followed her advice, and copied the front page only of the notes,
placing underneath some portions of Latin translation or historical
essay. Aveline underlined her title with red ink, Morvyth ruled a
neat margin, and Fauvette tied her sheets together with a piece of
the blue baby ribbon which she used for threading through her
underclothes. On the outside, at any rate, their copies looked most
presentable.

It was only the Fifth Form who were accorded the privilege of the
ramble. They were Miss Gibbs's sp