others. I shall make a point of sitting upon her hard for the rest
of the term."

"Solomon said in accents mild,
'Spare the rod and spoil the child;
Be they man, or be they maid,
Whack them, and wollop them,' Solomon said!"

quoted Patsie, choking over her last piece of chocolate.

CHAPTER XVIII

An Adventure

To give Madame Bertier her dues, it was she who suggested the
wild-flower ramble upon the cliffs. It was for seniors only, and it had
the immense advantage, in schoolgirl eyes, that it was held upon a
Thursday afternoon; Madame had urged Thursday and stuck to the point.

"It was real sporty of her," chortled Patsie. "Miss Kingsley or Miss
Janet always try to fix up rambles or things of that kind for Saturdays,
and then it's taking away a holiday instead of giving us one. We've all
generally got something on at home for Saturday afternoons, and though,
of course, we like rambles all right, it isn't quite good enough to have
to throw up our home engagements for them. Three cheers for Madame!"

"Bless her!" murmured Audrey, ecstatically. "We shall miss French on
Thursday afternoon and I hadn't done a single line of my exercise or
learnt my poetry. It's moved a weight from my mind."

"Don't congratulate yourself too soon, old sport! She'll probably tell
us to give in the exercises."

"Well, she can't hear the poetry at any rate."

"Unless she makes us say it on the cliffs!"

"Oh, surely there won't be time for that?"

"Um--I don't know! Never trust a teacher to give one a _real_ holiday!
Miss Janet always tries to 'combine instruction with amusement', as the
old-fashioned children's books used to put it. Madame will probably try
to teach us the French names of the flowers at any rate."

"Perhaps she doesn't know them!" said Audrey hopefully.

There were eighteen seniors in the school, and on the Thursday in
question they were all ready by half-past two, armed with baskets or tin
cases in which to put their flowers. Their exodus was watched with envy
by the juniors, who had appealed in vain to be allowed to join the
excursion.

"Eighteen are quite a big enough party to keep together," decreed Miss
Kingsley, "and you juniors had an aquarium expedition only last week."

"But that was on a Saturday!" objected a valiant spirit, anxious to
obtain a Thursday holiday.

Miss Kingsley, however, couldn't or wouldn't see the point, and withered
the speaker with an extra-scholastic