I said hastily, "not that! I won't ask again."

"Promise."

"I promise."

When I had finished the plaiting, I tied the ends with a piece of
ribbon which she produced, kissed them, and sat down in the grass at
her feet.

We had oceans of time, for the fete did not begin till two. But we
agreed there must be a rehearsal of some kind.

"What do you know about yourself, Punch?"

"I have a foggy recollection of domestic differences."

"You used to beat me cruelly."

"Ah, but you had a nagging tongue, Judy. I can hear your defiant
'wootle' now."

Her lips parted in a smile at the reminiscence, and before they closed
again she had slipped something between them. The next instant the
wood rang with a regular hurricane of toots and wootles.

"Oh, Judy!"

"Wootle?" she said inquiringly.

"Rather! But hush--you'll wake the echoes."

"And why not? They ought to be up and about by now."

I shook my head.

"They're a sleepy folk," I said; "they get so little rest. The day is
noisy enough, but at night, what with dogs baying the moon, and the
nightjars calling, when owls do cry--"

"When owls do cry--"

"--and the earnest but mistaken chanticleer, they have a rotten time.
Poor echoes! And they wake very easily here."

"Don't they everywhere?"

"Oh, no! I know some that are very heavy sleepers. In fact, it's
hopeless to try and wake them without the welkin."

"The welkin?"

"Yes, you make him ring, you know. They nearly always hear him. And
if they don't the first time, you make him ring again."

For a little space she laughed helplessly. At last:

"I am an idiot to encourage you. Seriously," she added, "about the
little play."

"Presently by us to be enacted?"

"The plot," I said, "is as follows. Punch has a row with Judy and
knocks her out. (Laughter.) Various well-intentioned and benignant
fools look in on Punch to pass the time of day, and get--very
properly--knocked out for their pains. (Loud and prolonged laughter.)
This is followed by the side-splitting incident in which a handy clown
not only eludes the thirsty bludgeon, but surreptitiously steals the
inevitable sausages. Exit clown. Punch, already irritated at having
missed clown, misses sausages, and exit in high dudgeon. Re-enter
Judy, followed by sausaged clown, who comforts her. (Oh, Judy!)
Re-enter Punch. Justifiable tussle. Punch sees sausages and begins to
find his length. Clown sees stars and exit. Punch kno