Francie.

"The things we really want to do are just the things we can't," sighed
Betty. "If I could choose, I'd vote for a bonfire and fireworks."

"Or a torchlight picnic," prompted Sylvia. "It would make a nice
excitement for the special constables to come and arrest us, as they
most certainly would. What a heading it would make for the newspaper--'A
Ladies' School in Prison. No Bail Allowed'! Would they set us to pick
oakum?"

"But seriously, do think of something practical. Have your brains all
gone rusty?"

"There are progressive games," ventured Patricia.

"St. Githa's are giving them. I know it for a fact. They sent to
Whitecliffe for marbles and boxes of pins and shoe-buttons to make
'fish-ponds'. They get first innings, so it would be too stale if our
evening were to be just a repetition of theirs."

It was Chrissie who at last made the original suggestion.

"Couldn't we have a dance? I don't mean an ordinary dance, but something
special. Suppose we were all to dress up to represent different nations.
We could have all the Allies."

"Ripping! But how could we manage enough costumes?"

"We'd make them up with coloured paper and ribbons. It shouldn't be very
difficult."

"It's a jolly good idea," said Mollie reflectively.

The more the committee considered the matter the more they felt disposed
to decide in favour of the dance. They consulted Miss Norton on the
subject, and she proved unusually genial and encouraging, and offered to
take two delegates with her to Whitecliffe to buy requisites. The girls
drew lots for the honour, and the luck fell to Mollie and Phyllis. They
had an exciting afternoon at the Stores, and came back laden with
brown-paper parcels.

"Miss Norton says the fairest plan will be to have the things on sale,"
they announced. "We're going to turn the sitting-room into a shop, and
you may each come in one by one and spend a shilling, but no more."

"All serene! When will you be at the receipt of custom?"

"This evening after supper."

That day there had been in the library a tremendous run upon any books
which gave illustrations of European costumes. The girls considered that
either allegorical or native peasant dresses would be suitable. They
took drawings and wrote down details.

"What I'd like would be to write to London to a firm of theatrical
providers, and tell them to send us down a consignment of costumes,"
announced Patricia.

"Oh, I dare say! A nice little bill