One summer evening after Esther had passed into the hands of Miss Miriam Hyams she came to Dutch Debby with a grave face and said:  “Oh, Debby.  Miss Hyams is not a heroine.”

“No?” said Debby, amused.  “You were so charmed with her at first.”

“Yes, she is very pretty and her hats are lovely.  But she is not a heroine.”

“Why, what’s happened?”

“You know what lovely weather it’s been all day?”

“Yes.”

“Well, this morning all in the middle of the Scripture lesson, she said to us, ’What a pity, girls, we’ve got to stay cooped up here this bright weather’—­you know she chats to us so nicely—­’in some schools they have half-holidays on Wednesday afternoons in the summer.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we could have them and be out in the sunshine in Victoria Park?’ ‘Hoo, yes, teacher, wouldn’t that be jolly?’ we all cried.  Then teacher said:  ’Well, why not ask the Head Mistress for a holiday this afternoon?  You’re the highest standard in the school—­I dare say if you ask for it, the whole school will get a holiday.  Who will be spokes-woman?’ Then all the girls said I must be because I was the first girl in the class and sounded all my h’s, and when the Head Mistress came into the room I up and curtseyed and asked her if we could have a holiday this afternoon on account of the beautiful sunshine.  Then the Head Mistress put on her eye-glasses and her face grew black and the sunshine seemed to go out of the room.  And she said ’What!  After all the holidays we have here, a month at New Year and a fortnight at Passover, and all the fast-days!  I am surprised that you girls should be so lazy and idle and ask for more.  Why don’t you take example by your teacher?  Look at Miss Hyams.”  We all looked at Miss Hyams, but she was looking for some papers in her desk.  ‘Look how Miss Hyams works!’ said the Head Mistress. ‘She never grumbles, she never asks for a holiday!’ We all looked again at Miss Hyams, but she hadn’t yet found the papers.  There was an awful silence; you could have heard a pin drop.  There wasn’t a single cough or rustle of a dress.  Then the Head Mistress turned to me and she said:  ’And you, Esther Ansell, whom I always thought so highly of, I’m surprised at your being the ringleader in such a disgraceful request.  You ought to know better.  I shall bear it in mind, Esther Ansell.’  With that she sailed out, stiff and straight as a poker, and the door closed behind her with a bang.”

“Well, and what did Miss Hyams say then?” asked Debby, deeply interested.

“She said:  ’Selina Green, and what did Moses do when the Children of Israel grumbled for water?’ She just went on with the Scripture lesson, as if nothing had happened.”

“I should tell the Head Mistress who sent me on,” cried Debby indignantly.

“Oh, no,” said Esther shaking her head.  “That would be mean.  It’s a matter for her own conscience.  Oh, but I do wish,” she concluded, “we had had a holiday.  It would have been so lovely out in the Park.”