I have to stop, too, sometimes, to think how to spell the words." The others laughed, for Fil's spelling was proverbial in the form, and was often of a purely phonetic character.

Miss Strong had periodical crusades to improve it, but generally gave them up as a bad job, and recommended constant use of a dictionary instead.
"Though you can't go about the world with a dictionary perpetually under your arm," she had remarked on the last occasion.

"If you have to write a letter in a hurry, and you begin 'Dear Maddam' and end 'Yours trueley'-- well! Please don't let anybody know you've been educated here, that's all, or it will be a poor advertisement for the College!" Ingred was not at all delighted to be still in Miss Strong's form.

She only moderately liked this mistress.

Undoubtedly Miss Strong was a clever teacher, but sarcasm was one of her favorite weapons of discipline.