Directly after the chums had hurried out of the hall to meet the boys, Miss Tebbs had decided that opening the dressing room on the other side of the stage would relieve the congestion and insure a better chance for all to dress.  Calling to the girls who still remained to move their belongings to that side, Miss Tebbs hurried across the stage to find the janitor and see that the door was at once unlocked.  By the time the door was opened and the lights turned on the remaining girls flocked in, their arms piled high with costumes.

Foremost among them was Eleanor.  Hastily depositing her own costumes in one corner of the dressing room, she darted across the stage and into the room from which she had just moved her effects.

It was empty.  She glanced quickly about.  Like a flash she gathered up a pile of costumes marked “Rosalind,” covered them with her long fur coat and ran through the hall and down the steps to where her runabout was stationed.  Crowding them hastily into the bottom of the machine, she slipped on her coat, made ready her runabout and drove down the street like the wind, not lessening her speed until she reached the drive at “Heartsease.”

* * * * *

The young people passed a merry hour at Nora’s, indulging in one of their old-time frolics, that only lacked Tom Gray’s presence to make the original octette complete.

“We’ll be in the front row to-morrow night,” said Hippy, as the young folks trooped out to the car.  “I have engaged a beautiful bunch of green onions from the truck florist, Reddy has put all his money into carrots of a nice lively color, the exact shade of his hair, while I have advised Davy here to invest in turnips.  They are nice and round and hard, and will hit the stage with a resounding whack, providing he can throw straight enough to hit anything.  He can carry them in a paper bag and——­”

But before he could say more he was seized by David and Reddy and rushed unceremoniously into the street, while the girls signified their approbation by cries of “good enough for him” and “make him promise to behave to-morrow night.”

“I will.  I swear it,” panted Hippy.  “Only don’t rush me over the ground so fast.  I might lose my breath and never, never catch it again.”

“Oh, let him go,” said Nora, who had accompanied them down the walk.  “I’ll have a private interview with him to-morrow and that will insure his good behavior.”

“Thank you, angel Nora,” replied Hippy gratefully.  “You will be spared any obnoxious vegetables, even though the others may suffer.”

“For that you walk,” said David, who had dropped Hippy and was engaged in helping the girls into the machine.

“Never,” replied Hippy, making a dive for the automobile.  “I shall sit at the feet of the fair Jessica.  Reddy will be so pleased.”

“Every one ready?” sang out David, as he took his place at the wheel after cranking up the machine.