Dr.
Brownlee that the stories of their future lives were written in the same
volume. Already they had glanced at the preface, and soon the first
chapter would lie open in their hands.

But now there was no time for any such thoughts, for chaos once more
reigned behind the scenes, as the actors hastily dressed for the play;
and, within a few moments, the curtain rose again upon the transformed
scene. Howard and the Everett boys, who had finished their share in the
program, had come out into the audience in order to get a better view of
the stage. After a little hesitation, they had discovered some vacant
seats behind Wang Kum and his friends, who were sitting spellbound in
their admiration of the scenes before them. For a time the boys listened
attentively; but a constant attendance at the rehearsals had made the
play an old story to them, and their interest began to flag. Grant was
lazily leaning back in his seat, with one hand outstretched,
abstractedly swinging Wang Kum's pigtail to and fro, when Ned suddenly
started up, with a naughty sparkle in his dark eyes.

"Say, Howard, haven't you a piece of string in some of your pockets?" he
whispered.

"I d'know," answered Howard, in the same stealthy tone. "What you want?"

Ned bent over to speak a few low words in his ear, and both the boys
began to giggle.

"What's the joke?" inquired Grant curiously; while Howard dived into one
pocket after another.

Ned cautiously imparted the secret to his brother, who received it with
manifest delight; then he took possession of the dozen or more scraps of
twine that Howard had produced, and tied them together to form one long
string. This done, he appeared to lose all consciousness of the people
around him, in the interest of the play, for he bent forward with his
hands on his knees and stared fixedly at the stage. A moment later he
drew a long breath and leaned back in his chair. Then it became apparent
that his hands had not been idle, for one end of the string was securely
tied about the tip of Wang Kum's queue, and woven in and out through the
openwork back of his chair, while the rest of the string was in Howard's
hands, to be passed on in turn to Grant. Five minutes afterwards the
three unconscious Chinamen were firmly lashed to their seats and the
boys had once more disappeared behind the scenes.

The play was at last ended, and the actors were called before the
curtain for one final round of applause, in which the Ch