whitened. Every one was looking
at them now, and the magician was making them even more conspicuous by
apologizing to them over and over again in the most abject fashion.

"How could I be so awkward! Such a beautiful hat and ruined through my
carelessness. I have no words to describe my regret. Do forgive me!
But I promised to return your property to you uninjured, did I not,
Miss? So, of course, I must keep my word." He held the battered mass
of ribbons and bird-of-paradise high above his head as he spoke, and
then went forward and placed a pistol in the hand of his assistant on
the stage. The man retired to a distance and the wizard held the hat
at arm's length as if for a target.

"Now, ready? Then--shoot!"

A second for aim: a report; and the smiling Callmann stepped forward
with the hat in his hand, quite whole again and unimpaired.

A shudder ran through Nan as she heard the applause and saw her
property held up to public view. She dared not turn her head to look
at Miss Blake, and she hardly heard the wizard's voice as he asked to
be permitted to use the hat for still another experiment, and she
scarcely saw how he placed it on a table, a perfectly innocent looking
table, and then proceeded to take from it a multitude of things--from a
gold watch to a clucking hen.

When the hen came to light the audience fairly shouted, and Nan thought
she could never in the world get up courage to set that hat on her head
again and walk out before the eyes of these quizzical people.

"They'll laugh at me all the way," she thought moodily. "And if they
ever see me in the street they'll say, 'There goes that trick hat! The
one the hen came out of!' I wish it was in Jericho!"

Miss Blake comforted her as best she could with little hidden pressures
of the hand and whispered words of sympathy, but the rest of the
performance was torture to them both, and when, at last, it was over
and they were well on their way home, Nan heaved a great sigh of relief
and tried to summon back her courage by declaring that "I don't care if
they did laugh when that hen clucked inside it and he said he was
afraid this was what might be called 'a loud hat!' It's heaps better
than lots I saw on other girls, so there!"

"I am glad you are satisfied with it," said Miss Blake, simply.

CHAPTER X

EXPERIENCES

For the first time since Nan could remember, the house was full of the
air of Christmas preparation. Of course she ha