"I never heard Jessop bring the hot water. It can't be half-past seven!
Oh, bother! I'd give all the world to be left quiet in bed! Go away!"

"All right! Stop in bed, and let Muriel give her list to Miss Mitchell!"
said Mavis.

Whereupon Merle groaned, sat up, and began to pull on her stockings.

"Guess I'll take the wind out of Muriel's sails!" she murmured.

The list was beautifully wrapped up in a sheet of new tissue-paper, and
Merle carried it proudly to school. Miss Mitchell was generally in the
study from about 8.45 till 9 o'clock, so there would be nice time to
present it before call-over. On this particular morning, however, as fate
would have it, the study was unoccupied. Merle peeped in many times, went
to the hostel, asked the boarders if they had seen Miss Mitchell, but was
utterly unable to find her. She seemed to have mysteriously disappeared,
and only walked in, from no one knew where, just in time to take the
register. The Fifth form marched away to its classroom, and Merle's
offering, for the present, was obliged to be consigned to the recesses of
her desk.

Latin was the first lesson, and as far as she was concerned it was a
dismal failure. Miss Mitchell looked surprised at her ghastly mistakes,
and one or two of the girls glanced at each other. Merle was hot and
flustered at the close of the hour, and closed her books with relief. She
hoped to manage a little better in 'The Merchant of Venice,' which was at
least an English subject. The girls were supposed to learn the notes, and
were questioned upon them and upon the meaning of the passages, and she
trusted to native wit and successful guessing to supply her answers. The