Page 389 (1/2)

"Qualifications, with date of Examination:"

With a little pride she wrote: "London Matriculation Examination"

"Previous experience and where obtained:"

Her heart sank as she wrote: "None"

Still there was much to answer It took her two hours to fill

in the three forms Then she had to copy her testiyman

At last, however, it was finished She had sealed the three

long envelopes In the afternoon she went down to Ilkeston to

post the of it all to her parents As she

sta letters and put them into the box at the main

post-office she felt as if already she was out of the reach of

her father and reater world of activity, the ain in her own fashion

her old, gorgeous dreahaston-on-Thahaland So that, in Gillinghae by the

hopfields, where the sun shone softly, she came out of school in

the afternoon into the shadow of the plane trees by the gate,

and turned down the sleepy road towards the cottage where

cornflowers poked their blue heads through the old wooden fence,

and phlox stood built up of blossom beside the path