'Some of it!' said the Secretary, slightly laughing. 'Well, I'll
tell you what--this won't do at all;' and he took the unfortunate
manuscript between his thumb and forefinger. 'You had better go
home and endeavour to write something a little better than this.
Mind, if it is not very much better it won't do. And look here;
take care that you do it yourself. If you bring me the writing of
any one else, I shall be sure to detect you. I have not any more
time now; as to arithmetic, we'll examine you in 'some of it' to-
morrow.'

So Charley, with a faint heart, went back to his cousin's
lodgings and waited till the two friends had arrived from the
Weights and Measures. The men there made a point of staying up to
five o'clock, as is the case with all model officials, and it was
therefore late before he could get himself properly set to work.
But when they did arrive, preparations for calligraphy were made
on a great scale; a volume of Gibbon was taken down, new quill
pens, large and small, and steel pens by various makers were
procured; cream-laid paper was provided, and ruled lines were put
beneath it. And when this was done, Charley was especially
cautioned to copy the spelling as well as the wording.

He worked thus for an hour before dinner, and then for three
hours in the evening, and produced a very legible copy of half a
chapter of the 'Decline and Fall.'

'I didn't think they examined at all at the Navigation,' said
Norman.

'Well, I believe it's quite a new thing,' said Alaric Tudor. 'The