have chosen
scenes from Shakespeare," observed Agnes Maxwell. "They keep talking in
such grand language, and making quotations that aren't particularly
appropriate! When Lilian Marshall wanted to call me back for something
yesterday, she said: 'Tarry, Jew: the law hath yet another hold on you!'
and the others sniggered."

"Then they'll be taking the Trial Scene from the _Merchant of Venice_.
Yes, I'm certain they must be, because Eleanor Avery has a lovely red
dressing-gown that they'll use for Portia's robe."

"And what about the Fifth?"

"Something from _As You Like It_, I fancy. Their classroom door was open
as I passed last night, and I caught a glimpse of them painting scenery
on great pieces of brown paper. It was evidently for a wood."

"It might be for _A Midsummer-Night's Dream_."

"Well, yes, of course it might."

"One thing is certain," said Lorna Hallam; "we mustn't decide upon
Shakespeare."

"No; it would be too stale if we happened to choose the very same
scene."

"Can't we have something comic?" suggested Myfanwy James.

"Yes, a short farce," agreed Ursula Bramley. "There are several very
jolly ones in the book Miss Bardsley lent me. It would be quite a
change."

"Where's the book? Let us look at it."

The little plays were mostly old friends with new faces. Well-known
tales had been dramatized, and given a humorous element that made them
very suitable for Christmas performances.

"They're screamingly funny!" said Phoebe. "I expect we shall die of
laughing when we're acting. Shall we have 'Beauty and the Beast', or
'Bluebeard'?"

"Which has the easier dresses?" asked Mabel.

"They're pretty much the same, and there are the same number of
characters, eight in each. We can't take 'Cinderella', because there are
too many parts; and 'Goody Two Shoes' has too few."

"'Bluebeard' seems the more dramatic," said Aldred, hastily dipping into
the book.

"Who votes for 'Bluebeard'?" queried Mabel.

Six hands went up immediately; so the matter was considered settled,
Myfanwy and Agnes, who preferred 'Beauty and the Beast', being in the
minority.

"And now we shall have to decide the caste," said Ursula. "I think the
tallest ought to be Bluebeard."

"Oh, I dare say, when you're an inch above everyone else in the Form!"
Agnes sounded indignant.

"No, we must draw lots for the parts, as we always have done," said
Mabel. "It's the fairest way, because then nobody can complain. We're
all prett