the garden for
the same object. Mr. Gascoyne, Beatrice, and Martin were to come to
the gymkhana, and had promised to clap their loudest at Giles' and
Basil's performances in the sports. Those two heroes kept examining
the muscular development of their young arms like a pair of practised
Roman gladiators, and ate quite a double allowance of breakfast on the
strength of the trials that were in store for them. They were so eager
to start for school, that for once Beatrice had no need to urge them
to hurry, and they departed in excellent spirits, vaulting, for
practice, over the orchard hurdles instead of going out through the
front gate.

Morning school was held as usual at Rodenhurst, but ceased at twelve,
so as to give time for preliminary arrangements to be completed. The
classrooms were to be used as dressing-rooms for some of the
performers, and the gymnasium was turned into a repository for the
parcels of sweets, cakes, and flowers which kept arriving from the
generous friends who had promised such gifts. To unpack these and
apportion them to different tea tables or vendors' baskets was a task
which needed all the energies of the members of the Committee, who
were kept so busy at the work that they had scarcely more than ten
minutes to spare for dinner. As a rule, unpunctuality at this meal was
visited with direst penalties, but to-day Miss Roscoe only smiled as
the prefects rushed in very late, hastily bolted their meat course,
and fled minus the pudding. Their zeal and virtuous example had the
desired effect. Everybody upon whom any responsibility devolved made
an extra effort, so that by half-past two everything was in perfect
order and readiness.

"Thank our lucky, lucky stars it's a decent day!" said Gwen, gazing up
at a sky which, if not blue all over, held only clouds of an
apparently harmless character. "I don't believe it intends to rain at
all, and I expect everybody will come, and the audience be 'large and
appreciative', as the newspapers say. If I don't clear a good sum of
gate money, I shall be amazed."

"Are you ready, Gwen, to act Horatio?" said Bessie Manners, bustling
up in a hurry. "You understand the business, don't you? Those with
tickets you of course let in free. Everybody else must pay a shilling,
or children under ten sixpence. Here are two rolls of checks, sixpenny
and shilling ones. You must hand checks to all comers for the amount
they have paid you, and they will present the checks a