was a
unanimous shout of applause. "Capital, Daisy!--capital!" cried Preston.
"If you only look it like that, we shall do admirably. It will be a
tableau indeed. There, get up--you shall not practise any more just
now."

"It will be very fine," said Mrs. Sandford.

"Daisy, I did not think you were such an actress," said Theresa.

"It would have overset _me_, if I had been John Alden--" remarked
Hamilton Rush.

Daisy withdrew into the background as fast as possible, and as far as
possible from Alexander.

"Do you like to do it, Daisy?" whispered Nora.

"No."

"Are you going to have a handsome dress for that?"

"No."

"What sort, then?"

"Like the picture."

"Well--what is that?"

"Brown, with a white vandyke."

"Vandyke? what is a vandyke?"

"Hush," said Daisy; "let us look."

Frederica Fish was to personify Lady Jane Grey, at the moment when the
nobles of her family and party knelt before her to offer her the crown.
As Frederica was a fair, handsome girl, without much animation, this
part suited her; she had only to be dressed and sit still. Mrs. Sandford
threw some rich draperies round her figure, and twisted a silk scarf
about the back of her head; and the children exclaimed at the effect
produced. That was to be a rich picture, for of course the kneeling
nobles were to be in costly and picturesque attire; and a crown was to
be borne on a cushion before them. A book did duty for it just now, on a
couch pillow.

"That is what I should like--" said Nora. "I want to be dressed and look
so."

"You will be dressed to be one of the queen's women in Esther and
Ahasuerus, you know."

"But the queen will be dressed more--won't she?"

"Yes, I suppose she will."

"I should like to be the queen; that is what I should like to be."

Daisy made no answer. She thought she would rather Nora should _not_ be
the queen.

"Doesn't she look beautiful?" Nora went on, referring again to
Frederica.

Which Frederica did. The tableau was quite pretty, even partially
dressed and in this off hand way as it was.

Next Mrs. Sandford insisted on dressing Daisy as Fortitude. She had seen
perhaps a little of the child's discomposure, and wished to make her
forget it. In this tableau Daisy would be quite alone; so she was not
displeased to let the lady do what she chose with her. She stood
patiently, while Mrs. Sandford wound a long shawl skilfully around her,
bringing it into beautiful folds like those in Sir Joshu