edified by the antics of the mungoose, and admired the Begum and her
progeny with a heartiness that would have won Thekla's heart, save
that she remembered hearing Vera say, over the domestic cat in the
morning, that M.A.'s were always devoted to cats. But, on the whole,
the visit had done much to reconcile the young sisters to their new
surroundings; books, bicycles, and kitten had reconciled them even to
the intimacy with "swells."

The hired bicycle and tricycle had arrived in their absence, and the
moment breakfast was over the next morning, the three younger ones
all rushed off to the enjoyment, and, at ten minutes past the
appointed hour for the early reading and study, Agatha felt obliged
to go out and tell them that the M.A. was sitting like Patience on a
monument, waiting for them; on which three tongues said "Bother," and
"She ought to let us off till the proper end of the holidays."

"Then you should have propitiated her by asking leave after the
Scripture was done," said Agatha; "you might have known she would not
let you off that."

"Bother," said Vera again; "just like an M.A."

"I did forget," said Paula; "and you know it was only just going
through a lesson for form's sake, like the old superlative."

They had, in fact, read the day before; when Thekla had made such
frightful work of every unaccustomed word, and the elders by one or
two observations had betrayed so much ignorance alike of Samuel's
history and of the Gospel of St. Luke, that she had resolved to
endeavour at a thorough teaching of the Old and New Testaments for