"What did you get for the square root?" enquired Kathleen anxiously. "Irene's answer was different from mine; but I _did_ think I was right. I went over it twice!" The girls were all surging together in the ante-room, comparing answers, and referring eagerly to Irene, who read aloud her own list with a self- satisfied air. Those whose numbers agreed with hers announced the fact with whoops of joy, those who had differed knitted their brows and were silent. Kathleen looked worried and anxious, and could not think what she had been about to get "that decimal wrong." "But it was horrible, wasn't it? The worst we have had." "The wall-paper was vile," cried another voice indignantly. "_Toujours_ wall-paper! They might have a little originality, and think of something else. I longed to give Tom's answer!" "It wasn't really difficult, but tricky! Decidedly tricky!" said Irene, with an air. She could afford to be superior, for there was no doubt that she had passed! and passed well. "The square root was absurdly easy." Then her eye fell on Rhoda, and she asked, kindly enough, "What did you make it, Rhoda? I hope you got on all right, and feel better." "Thanks, yes; but I didn't put down my answers. I really can't remember what they were." "And a good thing too! You have done your best, so don't worry over it any more, but come along to lunch!" cried Miss Everett, cheerily; and the girls obeyed with willing haste, for it was one of the "treats" of examination time to lunch in a restaurant, and be allowed to order what one chose. Rhoda was so much revived by the walk and the joy of knowing the ordeal over that she was able to eat a morsel of chicken, but the fascinations of jam puffs had departed for the time being, and she could even look unmoved at the spectacle of a dozen strawberry ices in a row. "If every candidate indulges in an ice a day, state accurately the number of bushels of fruit--" began Dorothy, with her mouth full of Vanilla biscuit, but she was promptly elbowed into silence; no one being in the mood for further calculations just then.