uld have spoken of in
her right mind. And while she had so vigorously refused to be taken to
the Women's and Children's Hospital when she was hurt, she talked about
Mrs. Eland, the matron, a good deal of the time.

"I'm going to see my Mrs. Eland and tell her that Miss Pepperill asks
for her and if she has found her sister," Tess announced, after a long
conference with the teacher's landlady, who was a kindly, if not very
wise maiden lady.

"I see no harm in your telling Mrs. Eland," Ruth agreed. "Perhaps Mrs.
Eland would go to see her, if it would do the poor thing any good."

"Why do you say 'poor thing' about Miss Pepperill, Ruthie?" demanded
Dot, the inquisitive. "Has she lost all her money?"

"Goodness me! no, child," replied the oldest Corner House girl; nor did
she explain why she had said "poor thing" in referring to the sick
teacher. But everybody was saying the same; they did not expect her to
live.

The substitute teacher who took Miss Pepperill's place in school had
possibly been warned against Sammy Pinkney; for that embryo pirate
found, at the end of the first day of such substitution, that he was no
better off than he had been under Miss Pepperill's regime.

Tess was very serious these days. She was troubled about the teacher who
was ill (for it was the child's nature to love whether she was loved in
return or no), her lessons had to be kept up to the mark, and, in
addition, there was her part as Swiftwing.

She knew her steps and her songs and her speeches, perfectly. But upon
the Saturday morning when the dances were rehearsed, Tess found that
there was more to the part than she had at first supposed.

There was to be a tableau in which--at the back of the stage--Swiftwing
in glistening raiment, was the central figure. A light scaffolding was
built behind a gaudy lace "drop" and to the steps of this scaffolding,
from the wings on either side of the stage, the birds and butterflies
flew in their brilliant costumes to group themselves back of the gauze
of the painted drop.

Tess was a bit terrified when she was first taken into the flies, for
Swiftwing first of all was to come floating down from above to hover
over and finally to rest upon a great carnation.

Of course, Tess saw that she was to stand quite securely upon the very
top step of the scaffolding. A strong wire was attached to her belt at
the back so that she could not possibly fall.

Below, and on either side of Tess, was a smaller