he thraldom of education shall never stay
the course of true love!"

Miss Lovelace's heroics, though they mightily impressed the audience,
apparently did not solve the problem of how she was to take her holiday
without losing her post at school. Her fertile brain, however, supplied
the key to the situation.

"I must get an attack of measles," she declared. "Then I shall be
infectious and quite unable to teach my form."

Springing from the sofa, she seized Mabel Andrews' paint-box, and with
the aid of a glass of water and a sable brush dabbed spots of crimson
over her face, neck, and chest. Then, falling back on to the sofa in a
semi-prostrate attitude, she called loudly for Mrs. Jones.

Cissie, as the landlady, with a school towel pinned on for an apron,
came bustling in, and held up hands of horror at the sight of the
violent eruption on the face of her lodger. She rapidly catalogued the
various complaints, from smallpox to scarlatina, which included a rash
among their symptoms, and readily agreed to hurry forth and fetch the
doctor.

Apparently she found him just round the corner, for he was ushered in
immediately. Marion, with the scanty materials at her command, had made
a very gallant attempt at masculine attire. She wore Pauline Kingston's
waterproof, and a white collar made from a sheet of exercise paper. On
her head was Nina Wakefield's soft black felt hat (the audience waived
the point of a physician wearing his hat in his patient's parlour), and
a black moustache was charcoaled on her upper lip. He examined Miss
Lovelace in orthodox medical fashion, felt her pulse, examined her
tongue, took her temperature (with a stilo-pen for thermometer), and
asked numerous questions, to which, lying on the sofa with half-closed
eyes, she groaned the answers in apparent agony. He shook his head over
the case and declared he must at once send a hospital nurse to her
assistance.

Miss Lovelace protested vigorously at this suggestion, but Dr. Pillbox
was adamant, and departed saying that Nurse Harding would arrive
directly with full instructions as to the treatment of the complaint.
Aldora had had a little more time than the others to complete her
costume and she was proud of it. She had borrowed Betty Wroe's pocket
handkerchief, and with that and the blackboard duster constructed an
apron with a bib. Her own handkerchief formed a Red Cross cap, and
pieces of exercise paper made the collar and cuffs of her uniform. She