presentation, and Dorothy
seemed actually painted upon the canvas, so naturally did she sleep. Mrs.
Brownlie nodded approvingly to Mrs. White. Dorothy's picture was not only
pretty, but it artistically perfect.

The audience seemed loath to disturb the little scene by applause, and
instead of answering to an encore Dorothy was obliged to keep her Bo-Peep
attitude for the length of time that it would have required to present her
tableau a second time.

Tom grasped Dorothy's hand as she left the frame.

"Great!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I wish Ned could have seen you!"

Dorothy was glad--pardonably glad. She had thought a "solo" difficult, and
had doubted her ability to make it attractive, but now she was quite
satisfied.

There was some delay in presenting the next number, but the wait was
forgotten when the curtains were pulled apart.

It was a depiction of "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater," with Eva's fair head
sticking out of an immense paper pumpkin shell. Nat's face, in the
character of Peter, was in a most satisfactory smile, consequent,
probably, upon his ability to "keep her very well," and it was surely a
very funny picture. Eva assumed a distressed look, and was thankful that
only her face had to act, for the quarters of the pumpkin shell were
rather limited.

Other tableaux followed, each one more or less well impersonated, until
Tom and Agnes went at "The Maiden all Forlorn."

As the "Man all Tattered and Tom," Tom was a veritable scarecrow, with a
fringe of rags all over him, and the familiar battered hat well turned
down to conceal any accidental smile that might detract from his serious
pose. He was bending over Agnes in the regulation picture-lover attitude,
and as the curtains were pulled together Tom did what any other young man
on earth might have done--he kissed the Maiden all Forlorn.

Everybody behind the scenes saw it.

"I never want to act with him again!" declared Agnes loudly and
scornfully, as she scrubbed her offended cheek with her handkerchief. "Ned
White is always a gentleman."

Dorothy was sorry, but it seemed a natural joke. Every one but Agnes
thought the same thing, but somehow the forlorn maiden could not be
convinced that Tom was simply thoughtless in his joking.

The incident, trifling as it was, somewhat marred the good humor of the
players. Roland came near falling for a second time in his "Jack be
Nimble." As it was, the big candlestick did topple over just as the