Her Latin grammar was shaky, her French only a trifle better, she had merely a nodding acquaintance with geometry, and had not before studied chemistry.

Her teacher seemed to expect her to understand many things of which she had hitherto never heard, and was apparently astounded at her ignorance.

Winona puzzled over her text-books during many hours of preparation, but she made little headway.

The royal road to learning, which she had fondly hoped to tread, was proving itself a stony and twisting path.
"_You_ seem to get on all right ?" she said wistfully to Garnet one day.
"Why, yes.

Of course one has to work," admitted her friend.