"Very good Lady Edith" Miss Lantham said as she handed Edith her test paper. "You only got one wrong."

As she took her test paper from the governess Edith smiled as she savored the compliment.

Miss Lantham braced herself as she turned towards Mary for she knew she was about to ignite a fire storm. In the two years she had been employed as the governess to the Crawley girls Carolyn Lantham had come to realize that the hardest part of the job was dealing with the constant bickering between the two oldest girls. It was no wonder that she was the third governess and there were days when she thought she certainly wouldn't be the last one.

The "classroom" was an unused bedroom just down the hall from the nursery. At first there was a large table where the two girls, Sybil being much younger wasn't included, would sit next to each other. But that arrangement didn't work well for it was apparent that having the girls in such close physical proximity was a recipe for disaster. She's copying my work … she's bothering me … she's kicking me under the table … she stole my pencil …

The large table was soon exchanged for two smaller ones set five feet apart so that the girls were separated with each having their own designated work space as well as pencils, papers and notebooks.

"Lady Mary" she began as she handed Mary her test paper "I don't think you tried very hard. I am sure you know more than this test indicates."

Mary briefly looked at the front of the paper, barely digesting the words "5 wrong" which had been written in red ink on the top of the paper, before tossing the paper on the floor.

"It's just a silly math test" Mary smirked at her sister whose face was now beaming with joy at besting her older sister.

It was an all too rare feat and Edith wasn't about to let it go unnoticed. "Oh Mary you're just upset because I did so much better" Edith gloated.

"It's just a stupid math test Edith. Nothing to get so excited about" Mary retorted.

And so it began despite the best efforts of Miss Lantham.

"Who needs math any way."

"You just can't take it that I beat you."

"It's not a competition. You're never much competition."

Eight year old Sybil tried tuning out her older sisters, something she had become quite good at during their years in the nursey and since joining them in their classroom almost two years ago had mastered. Usually she would lose herself in her own work. Sometimes she'd go over to the large world globe that was on a stand in a corner of the room. She'd spin the globe, close her eyes and then reach out one finger and touch it. Where ever she touched would be the place she'd concentrate on. She'd think about any stories she had read about the place or imagine what it must be like there. Maybe she'd draw a picture of it or she'd think of questions to ask Miss Lantham about it. But where ever it was, Sybil would dream about one day visiting there.

Sybil had so looked forward to joining her sisters in the classroom not just because it had become quite lonely in the nursery but because she was especially keen to learn how to read. Papa and Mary were quite good about reading to her, she would admit she loved sitting next to Papa on the sofa in the library or better still on his lap in one of the plush lounge chairs while he read to her or cuddling with Mary in bed while she read to her, but she wanted to be able to read for herself. Then she wouldn't have to wait until Papa or Mary had the time to do it.

But school work wasn't quite as exciting as Sybil thought it would be. Reading was of course every bit of what she had desired. Learning to write sorta went along with reading Sybil thought. Now if only she had someone to write to other than Grandmama in New York. Maybe she should start writing her own stories. But the rest of it … history … Sybil wasn't sure of the need to know all those long dead kings and queens and seemingly never ending battles but she did find some of the stories at least interesting … and then there was math.

Maybe Mary was right … what was the purpose of math? It was something Sybil herself did wonder about. Miss Lantham said they needed it to know how much something cost or if they got the right change when they bought something. But they never dealt with money. If she knew math would Papa give her her own money to spend? Maybe she needed to ask Papa this or at least ask him why math was so important.

"There's nothing you can do better than me if I put my mind to it."

Mary seemed to always throw in this phrase in her arguments with Edith but Mary's words just weren't true Sybil thought. Edith played the piano beautifully, certainly much better than Mary or herself. Mary's playing was acceptable but Sybil just didn't have the disposition for sitting there practicing scales or learning chords.

While Mary was considered to have the more beautiful singing voice Sybil thought Edith was almost as good and depending on the type of song sometimes better than Mary. Sybil sung enthusiastically her family would say which was really a polite way of saying too loudly and sometimes a bit off key.

It seemed to Sybil half their school time was centered on the art of being a fine young lady as Miss Lantham called it which covered such things as singing, playing the piano, dancing and manners. These things seemed to Sybil to be more of a waste of time than reading and writing and even math and history.

Manners seemed to be especially important to Granny. She was always scolding Sybil for slouching when she was sitting or not standing erect (which Sybil was never quite sure what that meant because wasn't one always erect when standing) or talking when she should be quiet. Despite Granny's scoldings, Sybil just couldn't sit there never saying a word, why what was the purpose of her being there if she couldn't talk?

Granny was forever saying she needed to be more lady-like and graceful as Mary and Edith were. Yesterday at tea Granny had scolded her for taking too many biscuits.

"but they are so good Granny."

"It doesn't matter my dear. One doesn't make a pig of one's self.

To Sybil's surprise, since Mama hardly ever went against Granny, Mama had stepped in and told Granny that she could have the biscuits.

"Really Cora" Granny had responded "you cater too much to Sybil and one day it will come back to haunt you."

Sybil had no idea what Granny was talking about. She had tried looking up cater in the dictionary but had no idea how to spell it. And why would Granny think she would haunt Mama? Only ghosts could haunt someone and she wasn't a ghost.

But those biscuits were devine. She had heard Mary use that word to describe something and she thought it fit those biscuits. There was a new cook, Mrs. Patmore, and Sybil thought maybe she should go introduce herself and tell her how much she loved those biscuits. And yesterday her lunch had been the most delicious chicken pot pie. Yes she had to make a trip down to the kitchens and meet this new wonderful cook.

But right now she had a more pressing problem to take care of. Sybil looked over at her sisters who were no longer bickering but rather seemed involved in their own work. Miss Lantham was talking with Edith who was writing while Mary had retreated to the room's sole lounge chair and was reading a book. With all three so occupied, Sybil quietly sneaked out of the room, another trait she had quite mastered.

Today was the last day for the Downton Carnival and Papa had promised her he'd take her this afternoon. Sybil was enthralled with the carnival with its crowds of people laughing and having a good time on the rides and playing the games. One game in particular had caught her fancy – the ring toss and today gave her one last chance to win. She was so determined to win a prize that she had been practicing her tossing. She had practiced tossing a ring, well really a small necklace she had found in Mama's jewelry box which she thought was the closest thing in size to one of the game's rings, over an array of things she had set on top of a small block of wood she had found in the barnyard.

She had been practicing every day for the last three days and she thought she had almost perfected it. She had time for a few more practices before she and Papa went to the carnival. Some things were just more important that school work.