vacity, a love of poetry and of nature; these things
Mrs. Burton had found out. Also her face depended upon the passing mood
for its charm, a superior gift to beauty in an emotional actress.

Gerry Williams and Peggy were to impersonate _Phebe_, a shepherdess, and
_Audrey_, a country wench, after a good-natured argument in which Peggy
insisted upon this division of honors because of Gerry's superior
prettiness.

_Touchstone_, the gay clown in "As You Like It," sings several of the
most charming ballads in all Shakespeare. Because of his beautiful voice
and his grace as a dancer Mrs. Burton begged Felipe Morris to play
_Touchstone_, and he appeared pleased to accept.

Lieutenant Carson agreed to portray _Jaques_, whose soliloquy, "All the
world's a stage," is one of the greatest speeches in English literature.

Dan Webster determined upon the character of _Adam_, servant to
_Orlando_, while Billy Webster together with Sally Ashton refused to
show the slightest interest in the approaching performance.

The other members of the cast were the officers and soldiers from the
nearby cantonment. They expressed a great deal of enthusiasm over the
relief the rehearsals afforded from the hard physical labor of these
early days of their army training. Moreover, they would not even attempt
to express their pleasure in associating so informally with a number of
agreeable girls.

Bettina, Alice and Vera Lagerloff were to be ladies-in-waiting at the
court of the _Duke_.

If Sally Ashton's refusal to play any part was due to her inherent
indolence, Billy's lack of interest was ascribable to the wholly
opposite cause.

Now and then for a passing moment when she had time to think of her
always erratic nephew, Mrs. Burton wished that Billy had been yielding
to his usual slothfulness. But recently he had awakened to an amazing
energy and was working as he never had worked in his life.

After his brief conversation with Lieutenant Carson, for no reason which
he chose to explain, Billy proceeded to find out whatever was possible
in regard to the details of the new war camps. The monthly magazines
and newspapers to which his aunt, or any one else at Sunrise camp
subscribed, he searched diligently for all war information. Then he
would disappear on long walks, announcing on his return that he had been
over in the direction of the new National Guard cantonment, following
the railroad tracks which had recently been laid from the city.