lot of flowers.

"I feel as if I were a part of the Revelation," said Mitchell, "I mean--the
Revel-eration."

They rapidly formed on somewhat after the plan of the famous "Marriage
under the Directoire." Aunt Mary commanded the center-rush, leaning on
Jack's arm, and the rest acted as half-backs, left wings, or
flower-bearers, just as the reader prefers.

They made quite a sensation as they proceeded to their box and more yet
when they entered it. They were late--very late--as is the privilege of all
box parties and their seating problem absorbed the audience to a degree
never seen before or since.

Jack put Aunt Mary and her green plaid waist in the middle and flanked her
with purple violets and red carnations. The ear-trumpet was laid upon the
orchids just where she could reach it easily. Then her escorts took
positions as a sort of half-moon guard behind and each held two or three
American Beauties straight up and down as if they were the insignia of his
rank and office.

The effect was gorgeous. The very actors saw and were interested at once.
They directed all their attention to that one box, and at the end of the
act the stage manager got the writer of the topical song on the wire and
had a brand new and very apropos verse added which brought down the house.

Jack and his party caught on and clapped like mad, Aunt Mary beat the
front of the box with her ear-trumpet, and when Clover suggested that she
throw some flowers to the heroine she threw the orchids and came near
maiming the bass viol for life. Burnett rushed out between acts and bought
her a cane to pound with, Jack rushed out between more acts and bought her
a pair of opera glasses, Mitchell rushed out between still further acts
and procured her one of those Japanese fans which they use for
fire-screens, and agitated it around her during the rest of the evening.

"Time of your life, Aunt Mary," Jack vociferated under the cover of a
general chorus; "Time of your life!"

"Oh, my," said Aunt Mary, heaving a great sigh, "seems if I'd _die_ when I
think of Lucinda."

They got out of the theater somewhat after eleven and Clover took them all
to a French cafe for supper, so that again it was pretty well along into
the day after when Janice regained her charge.

"Granite," said Aunt Mary very solemnly, as she collapsed upon her bed
twenty minutes later yet, "put it down on that memoranda for me never to
find no fault with nothing ever again. Never--not