More coughing, and then a dead silence. The dean happened to be looking hard at one particular boy, or the boy fancied so, and his ears became as red as the head master's. "If you please, Mr. Dean, our desk is not in algebra."
"Who was Caligula?" continued the dean.
"King of France in the ninth century," was the prompt answer from one who thought he was in luck.
It was now the dean's turn to cough, as he replaced the question by another: "Can you tell me anything about Charles the Second?"
"He invented black lap-dogs with long ears."
The dean nearly choked.
"And was beheaded," added a timid voice.
"Was he?" retorted the dean. "Can you say anything about Charles the First, and the events of his reign?"
"Yes, sir. He found out the Gunpowder Plot, and was succeeded by Oliver Cromwell."
"Where are the Bahama Isles," asked the dean, in despair.