Reading comprehension.
With despair – cold, sharp despair – buried deep in her heart like a wicked knife, Miss Meadows, in cap and gown and carrying a little baton, trod the cold corridors that led to the music hall. Girls of all ages, rosy from the air, and bubbling over with that gleeful excitement that comes from running to school on a fine autumn morning, hurried, skipped, fluttered by; from the hollow classrooms came a quick drumming of voices; a bell rang; a voice like a bird cried, “Muriel.”
And then there came from the staircase a tremendous knock-knock-knocking. Someone had dropped her dumb bells. The Science Mistress stopped Miss Meadows. “Good morning, ” she cried, in her sweet, affected drawl. “Isn’t it cold? It might be winter.” Miss Meadows, hugging the knife, stared in hatred at the Science Mistress. Everything about her was sweet, pale, like honey. You would not have been surprised to see a bee caught in the tangles of that yellow hair. “It is rather sharp, ” said Miss Meadows, grimly. The other smiled her sugary smile.
(a) What is a baton used for?
(b) What was the wicked knife?
(c) Why was Miss. Meadows in a state of despair?
(d) Why was the greeting of science mistress affected?