p it over her head the moment
she appears, like a harness on a fire-horse. Is everything out here
done? What time is it?"

"Yes; everything's done, and it's five minutes of eight. We can begin as
soon as the audience is ready."

They peered through the folds of the heavy velvet curtain at the sea of
faces in front. Eight hundred girls in light evening-gowns were talking
and laughing and singing. Snatches of song would start up in one corner
and sweep gaily over the house, and sometimes two would meet and clash
in the center, to the horror of those who preferred harmony to volume.

"Here come the old girls!" said Patty, as a procession of some fifty
filed into reserved seats near the front. "There are loads of last
year's class back. What are the juniors doing? Look; I believe they are
going to serenade them."

The juniors rose in a body, and, turning to their departed sister class,
sang a song notable for its sentiment rather than its meter.

"I do hope it will be a success," sighed Georgie. "If it doesn't come up
to last year's senior play I shall _die_."

"Oh, it will," said Patty, reassuringly. "Anything would be better than
that."

"Now the glee club's going to sing two songs," said Georgie. "Thank
heaven, they're new!" she added fervently. "And the orchestra plays an
overture, and then the curtain goes up. Run and tell them to come out
here, ready for the first act."

Lord Bromley was standing in the wings disgustedly viewing the
banquet-table. "See here, Patty," he called as she hurried past. "Look
at this stuff Georgie Merriles has palmed off on us for wine. You can't
expect me to drink any such dope as _that_."

Patty paused for an instant. "What's the matter with it?" she inquired,
pouring out some in a glass and holding it up to the light.

"Matter? It's made of currant jelly and water, with cold tea mixed in."

"I made it myself," said Patty, with some dignity. "It's a beautiful
color."

"But I have to drain my glass at a draught," expostulated the outraged
lord.

"I'm sure there's nothing in currant jelly or tea to hurt you. You can
be thankful it isn't poisonous." And Patty hurried on.

The glee club sang the two new songs, punctuated with the appreciative
applause of a long-suffering audience, and the orchestra commenced the
overture.

"Everybody clear the stage," said Georgie, in a low tone, "and you keep
your eyes on the book," she added sternly to the prompter; "you lost
your place t