"I should think they'd have wanted you for the heroine," said Alice, who
admired Betty immensely.

"Oh, no," demurred the villain. "Eleanor is leading lady, of course. She
has three different costumes, and she looks like a queen in every one of
them. Katherine is going to be Sherlock Holmes, and Adelaide Rich is Dr.
Watson and--oh, I mustn't tell you any more, or Alice won't enjoy it
Saturday."

"We had a little play here," said Miss Madison, "but it was tame beside
this. Where did you get all the men's costumes?"

"Rented them, and the wigs and mustaches and pistols," and Betty
explained about the dancing-school money which the house had voted to
Roberta's project instead of to the spread.

"I wish I could act," said Alice. "I should love to be a man. But my
mother wouldn't let me, so it's just as well that I'm a perfect stick at
it."

"Roberta's father wouldn't let her either," said Betty, "but mother
didn't mind, as long as it's only before a few girls. I presume she
wouldn't like my coming over here and frightening you. But I honestly
didn't think you'd be deceived."

"I'm so glad you came," said Miss Madison lying back luxuriously among
her pillows. "Does the story of the play take place in the evening?"

"Yes, all of it. I'm dressed for the theatre, but I'm detained by the
robbery."

"Then I have something I want to lend you. Alice, open the washstand
drawer, please--no, the middle one--in that flat green box. Thank you.
Your hat, sir villain," she went on, snapping open an opera hat and
handing it to Betty with a flourish.

"How perfectly lovely!" exclaimed Betty. "But how in the world did you
happen to have it?"

"Why, I stayed with my cousins for two weeks just before I came up here,
and I found it in their guest-chamber bureau. It wasn't Cousin Tom's nor
Uncle Dick's, and they didn't know whose it was; so they gave it to me,
because I liked to play with it. Should you really like to use it?"

"Like it!" repeated Betty, shutting the hat and opening it again with a
low bow. "Why it will be the cream of the whole performance. It would
make the play go just of itself," and she put it on and studied the
effect attentively in the mirror.

"It's rather large," said Alice. "If I were you, I'd just carry it."

"It is big," admitted Betty regretfully, "or at least it makes me look
very small. But I can snap it a lot, and then put it on as I exit. Miss
Madison, you'll come to the play of course. I hadn'