that had been made to look quite aged by a few clever touches of the pencil about the eyes and mouth.  She was dressed in a long garment, something between an ulster and a dressing-gown.  It fell just below her knees, for it had been decided by the Reverend Mother that it were better that there should be a slight display of ankles than the least suspicion of trousers.  The subject was a delicate one, and for some weeks past a look of alarm had not left the face of the nun in charge of the wardrobe.  But these considerations only amused the girls, and now, delighted at the novelty of her garments, the Minister strutted about the stage complaining of the temper of the Dowager Queen.  ’Who could help it if the King wouldn’t marry?  Who could make him leave his poetry and music for a pretty face if he didn’t care to do so?  He had already refused blue eyes, black eyes, brown eyes.  However, the new Princess was a very beautiful person, and ought, all things considered, to be accepted by the King.  She must be passing through the city at the moment.’

On this the Queen entered.  The first words she spoke were inaudible, but, gathering courage, she trailed her white satin, with its large brocaded pattern, in true queenly fashion, and questioned the Minister as to his opinion of the looks of the new Princess.  But she gave no point to her words.  The scene was, fortunately, a short one, and no sooner had they disappeared than a young man entered.  He held a lute in his left hand, and with his right he twanged the strings idly.  He was King Cophetua, and many times during rehearsal Alice had warned May that her reading of the character was not right; but May did not seem able to accommodate herself to the author’s view of the character, and, after a few minutes, fell back into her old swagger; and now, excited by the presence of an audience, by the footlights, by the long coat under which she knew her large, well-shaped legs could be seen, she forgot her promises, and strolled about like a man, as she had seen young Scully saunter about the stable-yard at home.  She looked, no doubt, very handsome, and, conscious of the fact, she addressed her speeches to a group of young men, who, for no ostensible reason except to get as far away as possible from the Bishop, had crowded into the left-hand corner of the hall.

And so great was May’s misreading of the character, that Alice could hardly realize that she was listening to her own play.  Instead of speaking the sentence, ’My dear mother, I could not marry anyone I did not love; besides, am I not already wedded to music and poetry?’ slowly, dreamily, May emphasized the words so jauntily, that they seemed to be poetic equivalents for wine and tobacco.  There was no doubt that things were going too far; the Reverend Mother frowned, and shifted her position in her chair uneasily; the Bishop crossed his legs and took snuff methodically.