"Then they're abominable little wretches, and don't deserve to be candidates for the Camp-fire League. I'm thoroughly ashamed of them. Have they no sense of honour?" The Cuckoo was looking perplexed. "Ulyth Stanton, you're always rounding something new on me," she sighed. "I can't keep up with you. I keep my hair tidy now, and don't leave my things lying round the room, and I try to give a sort of twitter instead of laughing, and I've dropped ever so many words you object to, and practise walking down the passage with a book on my head. What more do you want?" "A great deal," said Ulyth gravely. "Didn't you learn honour at home?" "Catch Mrs. Barker!" "But surely your father----?" "I saw so little of Dad. He was out all day, and sometimes off for weeks together at our other block. When he was at home he didn't care to be bothered overmuch." An amazed pity was taking the place of Ulyth's indignation. This was, indeed, fallow ground. Mrs. Arnold's comment flashed across her mind: "What an opportunity for a Torch-bearer!" "I don't want to be turned into a prig," urged the Cuckoo. "You needn't. There's a certain amount of slang and fun that's allowable, but _noblesse oblige_ must always come first. You don't understand French yet? Well, never mind. All that matters is that you simply must realize, Rona--do listen, please--that all of us here, including you, mustn't--couldn't--cheat at lessons. For your own sake, and for the sake of the school, you must stop it." "You think a lot of the school!" "And quite right too! The school stands to us for what the State does to grown-up people. We've got to do our best to keep the tone up. Cheating brings it down with a run. It's as bad as tearing up treaties." "Go ahead. Rub it in," returned the Cuckoo, beginning to whistle a trifle defiantly. She thought the matter over, nevertheless, and returned to the subject that night when they were going to bed. "Ulyth, I told the girls exactly what you said about them. My gracious, you should have seen their faces! Boiled lobsters weren't in it. That hit about the Camp-fire Guild seemed specially to floor them. I don't fancy, somehow, there'll be any more correcting done in dictation. You've touched them up no end." "I'm extremely glad if what I said has brought them to their senses," declared Ulyth.