Miss Pink, as was a common way of hers in a difficulty with Rosy,
pretended not to hear, but Beata noticed, and so, you may be sure, did
Rosy, that they had no arithmetic that morning, though Miss Pink said
nothing about it, leaving it to seem as if it were by accident.

Beata liked sums, and did them more quickly than her other lessons.
But she said nothing. When lessons were over and they were alone, Rosy
threw two or three books up in the air, and caught them again.

"Aha!" she said mischievously, "we'll have no more nasty sums--you'll
see."

"Rosy," said Bee, "you can't be in earnest. Miss Pink won't leave off
giving us sums for always."

"Won't she?" said Rosy. "She'll have to. _I_ won't do them."

"I will," said Bee.

"How can you, if she doesn't give you any to do?"

"If she really doesn't give us any to do I'll ask her for them, and if
she still doesn't, then I'll tell your mother that we're not learning
arithmetic any more."

"You'll tell mamma," said Rosy, standing before her and looking very
fierce.

"Yes," said Beata. "Arithmetic is one of the things my mother wants me