She paused, and a cold chill ran through the company. What would she do?
Would she open on them with the Westminster Catechism this time, or set
them to shelling peas for some poor man's dinner, or would she examine
them in the multiplication table? A few had run it hastily over before
leaving home to make sure that they were ready for such an emergency.

"I had thought first," Mrs. Upjohn proceeded, "of a series of games as
instructive as delightful, games of history and geography, and one
particularly of astronomy, which I am persuaded would be very helpful. It
brought out the nature of the spectroscope in a remarkably clear and
intelligent light, and after a few rounds I am sure none of us could ever
again have forgotten those elusive figures relative to the distances and
proportions of the planets. However, that must be for another time. For
today I thought it would be a pleasure as well as a benefit to us all to
learn something about a gifted and noble person who, I am surprised to
find, is not so well known in Joppa as she should be, and whom, I am
convinced, we should all be infinitely the better and happier for
knowing. I have, therefore, persuaded Mr. Webb, with whose powers as a
reader long years of acquaintanceship have so pleasantly familiarized us,
to read to us this afternoon extracts from the 'Life and Letters of the
Baroness Bunsen.'"

"Good Lord!" ejaculated Dick beneath his breath, "who's that?"

"Hush," whispered Jake. "I've got a novel of Miss Braddon's in my
pocket. I thought it might come in handy. That'll help us through till
feed time."

"You are all familiar with the name, of course," pursued Mrs. Upjohn,