THE BOOK OF BETTY BARBER.
not used to it. If only they have dropped enough pieces of paper, I shall easily find whereYes, there’s another piece, on the path leading to the Correcting-hall. How stupid of me, I never thought of looking in there.”
The Fraction hurried away from the buildings, following up the pieces of paper, until he reached the round hall, with its many, many doors. Thirteen-fourteenths could hear voices calling to one another as he walked up the path, and he caught glimpses of heads bent eagerly over work through the windows.
The hall was not deserted.
“Everyone must be in the hall,” he said. “What an amount of work they must have, and I can’t understand it. The children, as I know only too well, have been painting all day long, I couldn’t persuade them to look at a sum. I’ll listen a minute or two before I go in; perhaps I may learn something.”
But all Thirteen-fourteenths could hear at the door was a buzz of chatter. “Pass the india-rubber!” “Anyone got a blue pencil?” “More paper, please,” and other equally valuable and interesting remarks.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“It is Thirteen-fourteenths,” called out several voices, and before he could speak a word he found himself dragged across the hall and placed in a desk. A large blue pencil was put in his hand, a large piece of paper was laid before him, which was covered with figures, and at the bottom of which was written in big letters—
“Answer? 18964536786215723653787909085 .”
Thirteen-fourteenths stared at the paper, and then stared about him.
“It’s rather a big one,” he said at last, “and quite impossible, I should think.”
Immediately all the heads were lifted from all the desks, and all the voices shouted loudly:
“Impossible! Of course it’s impossible. They are all impossible.”
