"Because she couldn't!" sneered Aldred. "She's evidently no good at arithmetic. We know more ourselves than she does!" "And when we were having physical geography, and I asked her why the moon really had phases, she said it depended on the tide!" "Well, she had got rather flustered, and put it the wrong way," interposed Mabel. "Of course, she meant that the tide depended on the moon." "Then why didn't she say so?" "You muddle her by asking so many questions." "Miss Bardsley never gets muddled; she always explains things so that one can understand exactly. As for Miss Webb, at the end of her physical geography, I feel as if I weren't sure whether the sun goes round the earth, or the earth round the sun." "Well, it must be difficult for her, poor thing! to come here at a few hours' notice and have to take up another mistress's work," said Mabel. "I expect she's taught from quite different books, and doesn't know how far we are on in anything." "It's not exactly that," said Phœbe. "I'm sure Miss Bardsley could set to work on someone else's Form, and manage their lessons in five minutes. The real trouble is that Miss Webb hasn't been used to teach in the way we learn things at Birkwood. She's old-fashioned, and expects you just to repeat what's in the book, and never minds whether you really understand it or not." "That's fearfully out-of-date!" said Ursula. "She must have been educated a very long time ago. I wonder how old she is?" "Quite fifty, I should think. Her hair is very grey," said Aldred. "She's older than Miss Drummond, I'm certain, and oh! what a vast difference there is between them! Miss Drummond is the cleverest person I know, and Miss Webb is a perfect noodle!" "I don't see what's the use of troubling to learn her stupid lessons; they can't do us any good." "Well, we must be able to reel off something, or she'd give us bad marks, and Miss Drummond would scold." "Yes, that's the worst of it." "Freda Martin made a far better teacher; I wish she could have gone on taking us!" "So do I; but, you see, she has her own work. She is going in for the Matric. next summer." "Well, I vote we give ourselves an easy time with Miss Webb. We'll learn just enough to satisfy her and no more; and if we feel inclined to talk in school we'll talk!" CHAPTER XII The New Teacher