r household drew a long breath of relief.

Miss Watts piqued the girl's interest in the study hours, and, as if by
a miracle, she learned to read. The teacher found an extraordinary
concentration of effort to acquire anything the girl desired. Promised
the joy of finding stories for herself, the student applied herself and
learned by magic. She was extremely proud of the new accomplishment, and
would have read constantly if Miss Watts had not settled upon literary
pursuits as the reward of virtue.

One of the by-products of the new ability was a tighter hold on her
leadership of the children she played with. Everything she read
suggested new and wonderful games. As originator and inventor she always
played the leading roles, assisted by the others.

Summer days provided uninterrupted opportunity for her talents. She
turned the playhouse into a theatre, and organized a supporting company.
Sometimes Miss Watts assisted with the scenario, sometimes Isabelle was
sole author or adapter.

It was the year when she was eight, and just beginning to read Dickens,
that she prepared a presentation of "A Tale of Two Cities." She worked
at it with great enthusiasm for fully a week. Then she appeared in her
mother's room.

"Max, can I have lemonade and cake for the audience this afternoon?"

"What audience?"

"At the Isabelle Theatre."

"Who's coming?"

"Everybody. Parents and relatives. I rode around to all the houses this
morning and issued the invitations. They all accepted."

"Why didn't you consult me before you invited the neighbourhood
in?"--hotly.

"I thought you'd kick about the refreshments."

"If you ever do this again you will get no refreshments and I will send
your friends home."

"They're yours too. Martin Christiansen said he would not miss it for a
kingdom."

"You call him Mr. Christiansen, when you speak of him, Miss Impudence.
What do you intend to do to entertain all these people?"

"'A Tale of Two Cities,' by Charles Dickens."

"In the playhouse?"

"Yes; it will be crowded, but people can sit on the floor."

"You can't ask people to sit on the floor in that stuffy box!"

"Well, I asked you to let me use the garage and you wouldn't."

"So that's why you asked all these people."

"That's only one reason. Matthews and Henry can carry chairs to the
garage this morning. We can move the stage our own selves. The play
begins at two."

"Hottest time in the day."

"You don't have to come."