it is not the Gospel either, only texts out of her own head."

"Polly!" said Agatha. "Texts out of her own head!"

"It is Bible, of course, only what she fancies; and they have to work
out the sermon, and if they can't do the sermon, a text. They might
as well be Dissenters at once!" said Paula.

"Janet M'Leod is," said Vera. "It was really Dissentish."

Magdalen could not help saying, "So you would not learn the Gospel
because Dissenters learnt pieces of Scripture! You seem to me like
the Roman Catholic child, who said there were five sacraments, there
ought to be seven, but the Protestants had got two of them."

She was sorry she had said it, for though Agatha laughed, the other
two drew into themselves, as if their feelings were hurt. "These are
the boarding-house habits," she said. "What is done at the High
School itself?"

"The Vicar comes when he has time, and gives a lecture on an
Epistle," said Agatha, "or a curate, if he doesn't; but I was working
for the exam., and didn't go this last term. What was it, Polly?"

"On the--on the Apollonians," answered Paulina, hesitating.

"My dear, where did he find it?"

"I know it was something about Apollo," said Vera.