d, in
the front room. Her voice breathed relief.

He nodded satisfaction. "So I hear. I don't know how they managed it,
but I accept the fact without question."

"Do you think it's always safe to do that?" queried his son Chester,
coming up in time to hear.

"Accept facts without question? What else can you do with facts?"

"But if they should turn out not to be facts?"

"In this case I have the evidence of my ears," returned the learned man,
comfortably, and Chester walked away again, his eyes dancing.

"Nobody can tell you from Lindmann," he whispered, behind the screen,
during an interval.

"That's good. Hope the delusion keeps up. We don't feel much like
Lindmann," returned Churchill, hastily turning over a pile of music.
"Get your crowd to talking as loud as it can--then we're comparatively
safe. Where's the second violin part of 'King Manfred'? Look out,
Just--you hit my elbow twice with your bow-arm last time. These quarters
are a bit--There you are, Charlotte. Now take this thing slow, and look
to your phrasing. All ready!"

The costume dances did not come until after supper. By that time the
Churchills and Birches, behind the screen, had settled down to steady
work. During supper a violin, with the 'cello and bass, carried on the
music, while Doctor Churchill, Celia and Carolyn Houghton planned a
substitute programme for the dances.

In two cases they found the original music familiar; in most of the
others it proved not very difficult to adapt other music. The leaders of
the dances were told that whatever happened they were to carry through
their parts without showing signs of distress.

"It's a pretty big bluff," murmured Jeff, leaning back in his chair and
mopping a perspiring brow. "Phew-w. but it's hot in here! I expect to
see several of those crazy dances go all to pieces on our account. That
Highland Fling! Mind you keep up a ripping time on that. It ought to be
piped, not stringed."

Nevertheless, in spite of a good deal of perturbation on the part of
both dancers and orchestra, the entertainment went off well enough to be
applauded heartily. Certain numbers, notably the South Carolina
breakdown, the Irish jig, and the minuet of Washington's time, "brought
down the house," presumably because the music fitted best and bothered
the dancers least.

When it was over, the musicians expected to escape before they were
found out, thinking the fun Would be the greater if the Agnews did not
learn