rther instead of
hastening her.

Each girl as she received her book said "thank you" with quite
superfluous unction, all in different tones of voice, some gruff, some
squeaky, some mincing, and some affected. At last, however, each was
settled with a blank page of exercise paper before her, and there was no
further excuse for delay. Lesbia opened the reading-book at a venture
and began to dictate:

"'GREAT AFRICAN EXPLORERS

"'Sir Samuel White Baker, the distinguished African traveller,
was born in Worcestershire in 1821. He early showed his love of
sport and adventure, and in 1861 projected an expedition to
Africa, with the view of meeting Captains Speke and Grant at
the sources of the Nile.'"

Sixteen heads were bent over desks and sixteen hands began laboriously
to write.

"Do I put a capital to African?" asked Allie Pearson, pausing at the
second word.

"Of course. It's a proper name," vouchsafed Lesbia; "you ought to know
that."

"You put capitals for every word of the title, don't you?" inquired Jess
Morrison officiously.

"Please is it explor-_ers_ or explor-_ors_?" piped Sadie Lorrimer, from
the back.

"I can't tell you _that_!"

"Oh, but you might say it over again so that I can hear."

Lesbia fixed a glaring eye on Sadie, and, disregarding her appeal,
continued to dictate:

"'Sir Samuel White Baker, the distinguished African traveller, was born
in Worcestershire in 1821. He early showed his love----'"

"Please, I'm only as far as Baker," interrupted an agitated voice. "What
comes next to Baker?"

"You must really write more quickly," chided Lesbia.

"But you go on _so_ fast!"

"_I've_ written 'he early showed his love'," chirped a smug voice from a
front desk. "I'm always quickest of anybody."

"Be quiet, Esmee! Where have most of you got to?" asked Lesbia
incautiously, realizing her mistake when an answering chorus shouted:

"African!"

"Worcestershire!"

"Distinguished!"

"Early showed!"

"Traveller!"

She held up her hand to stop the babel, and began to dictate the passage
again. With considerable spluttering of pens the girls followed, Lu-Lu
Branton and Nan Ward repeating the words after her in loud whispers.

"'After preliminary explorations he reached Khartoum and organized his
expedition to the Great White Nile,'" continued Lesbia, in slow and
measured tones.

"Please, what does 'pre-pre-limary' mean?" asked Allie Pearson
tragically, "I never