ame disappointment. The matter was growing
urgent. On the afternoon of 17th December, she measured herself
playfully against Joan Patterson and ventured to remark:

"I'm nearly as tall as you, Jo! I believe I could almost wear one of
your frocks."

"Oh no, you couldn't," laughed Joan. "They'd be miles too long for you,
child, and would look absurd."

"Even turned up a few inches?"

"Turned up," echoed Joan in horror. "It spoils a dress for ever to turn
it up. The stitching shows a long line when you let it down again."

It was evident, as Lesbia thought sorrowfully, there was "nothing doing
in that quarter". If her box did not arrive she must miss the
performance, for she could not sit among a silk or _crepe de Chine_ clad
audience in a serge skirt and a knitted jumper. She entered the
cloak-room next morning in the gloomiest of spirits. She found Ermie,
Kathleen, Marion, and a few others collected together talking excitedly.
From their tragic tones some catastrophe had evidently just occurred.

"What's the matter?" asked Lesbia.

"Matter! Why, here's a note from Phillis to say she's in bed with
bronchitis and won't be able to act 'Etaire' to-morrow. Isn't it simply
sickening?" explained Marion.

"What _are_ we to do?" groused Kathleen.

"Go and break it to Miss Lightwood, I suppose," suggested Cissie.

"Phillis _might_ have chosen some other time to have bronchitis,"
mourned Calla.

Miss Lightwood received the bad news with more equanimity than her
pupils. Probably she was accustomed to cope with such "slings and arrows
of outrageous fortune".

"Nonsense! It's not going to spoil the whole play. I'll take good care
it doesn't," she remarked briskly. "Let me see, what had Phillis to do?
Two songs, three short speeches, and a figure in a dance. We can give
her songs to Marjorie, and train somebody else in a hurry to take her
part for the dance and the speeches. Now, who'd get it up in one
rehearsal? Lesbia's the very girl. She's about Phillis's height, and can
wear her costume. We'll soon teach her the dance. Fetch Lesbia at once!"

Lesbia, hastily informed of the honour in store for her, could scarcely
believe her good luck. She had yearned all the term to take part in the
song-drama, but her voice was not up to the required standard of merit.
To hand over the musical portion of the part to Marjorie and to perform
the acting and dancing herself seemed a glorious solution. Miss
Lightwood was a veritable So