st
winked out, took on a fresh lease of life. Violin cases and even
violoncello cases appeared in the cloak-room, and from the sanctuary of
VB, turned into a temporary practice room, came weird sounds, somewhat
rasping and scraping at first, but improving in quality as the term wore
on. Those outside the locked door, though really rather thrilled,
affected to mock at the music, and would ask facetiously if the wolves
were howling, or where all the cats came from. The instrumentalists
however, proud of their revived Society, took no notice of scoffing
remarks and would reply loftily:

"Ah! Just you wait till Christmas and then you'll see."

"And in the meantime we _hear_, worse luck!" retorted their impudent
critics. "Pity there isn't a sound-proof room for practising in this
school."

Lesbia was immensely happy in the studio, where there were facilities
for carrying out all sorts of fads. She had always longed to try
stencilling and velvet painting, but could never before get on the right
track of the processes. The new art teacher, Miss Joyce, was ready to
give any explanations, and though the girls worked away "on their own"
they could come to her as often as they liked with their difficulties.
Lesbia complacently stencilled everything upon which it was possible to
lay a pattern, work-bags, boxes, book-covers, and even a pinafore for
Julie, though she knew to her sorrow that the first wash would remove
the fruits of her labours, and Julie's pinafores never lasted clean more
than a few hours. She longed for more scope, and had visions of covering
the nursery walls at Denham Terrace with designs of Noah's Ark animals,
insects, and butterflies.

"The children would _love_ it," she explained to Minnie, "and if you'd
only have a dado colourwashed over the wallpaper, I could stencil a row
of creatures along the top, just on a level with the children's eyes. It
would look as nice as one of those model nurseries we saw at the
exhibition. _Do_ let me, won't you?"

To her surprise Minnie hesitated, seemed to think the offer over, and
refused it.

"The room was decorated only last spring, and I don't want to have the
men in the house again," she declared.

"It doesn't need a man just to colourwash a dado," persisted Lesbia.
"Why I believe Nurse could manage it."

"Nurse has plenty to do without colourwashing the nursery. Besides it's
not worth while now, when----"

Minnie stopped abruptly, looking rather conscious.