With the blackboard we now made visible progress, which I decided it was best for the present not to interrupt. Let as many suggestions as possible be made; then we could weed them out. Consent was undivided upon a number of words, and some old spelling passed away in peace. The letter u disappeared from honor and favor, although, with much surprise, I overheard Miss Appleby saying to herself that she intended to retain it in all her private correspondence. The k was kicked out of Frederic. ("There's nothing new about that, either," said Miss Appleby, in a whisper.) "But I shall not permit any such liberty to be taken with my own name," said Professor Maverick, firmly; and this was conceded to him, Professor Totts objecting. "We shall never reach consistency at this rate," grumbled Lysander Totts. "Who came here to be consistent?" retorted Maverick. "We came here for spelling reform," added Camillo Cottsill. ("Good gracious," said Miss Appleby, under her breath.) Presently it was the letter h that occupied us; and old honour now became onor (some were for oner, but gave in), followed by erb, our, and umor. "What's that?" demanded Totts, pointing to our. "Time of day," answered Maverick. "Sixty minutes make one our." "Then nobody can tell it from our cat, our cow," said Professor Totts. "We can't help that," said Maverick. "We're only here for simplification," Cottsill said again. ("Good gracious," repeated Miss Appleby.) "Make it ower," suggested Cottsill; and this was done. "Make it minits, too," said Totts; and this was done. "Make it sekonds," said Maverick; and this was done. Cottsill turned to Egghorn at the blackboard. "Add eir, umble, otel, and istorical," said he. "No, he sha'n't!" cried Totts, fiercely. "Are we phonetic or not?" demanded Cottsill, turning on him. ("You're a pack of geese," said Miss Appleby.) "I never said umble in my life!" shouted Totts. "I reckon he don't use the aixpression," said Willows. "And if istorical is adopted, I'll resign now," Totts continued. "Gentlemen, gentlemen," protested Kibosh. "I move those last h's be laid on the table," said Maverick; and this was done. "Past participles," Egghorn now wrote on the blackboard. "Termination _ed_ to be changed to _t_; for instance, blest, exprest, dro----" "What are you going to do with rest?" interrupted Totts. "And test?" said some one down the table. "And nest?" another called out. "Can't you let him finish?" said Cottsill. And Egghorn continued, "Dropt, stopt, spilt, kilt, and so forth." ("Kilt!" whispered Miss Appleby. "Oh, dear!") "Rattlet instead of rattled will look funny," observed some one. "So will mart and wart," remarked Willows, "instead of marred and warred." "If you have rattlet and mart and wart," yelled Totts, "I'll resign right now, right now, right now!" "Who thought of having them, having them, having them?" thundered Cottsill. "Gentlemen! Oh, Gentlemen!" wailed Kibosh.