Five Little Peppers Midway | Page 9

laughing and pulling out his watch; "we gave you an extra fifteen minutes, as you had such a lot to do. Dear me! but you are fine, Phronsie. I make my obeisance to Princess Clotilde!" and he bowed low to the little silver and white figure, as did the other two boys, and then drew off to witness the final touches.
"It's a most dreadful thing," cried Polly, pushing back the brown waves from her brow, as she also fell off to their point of view, "to get up a princess. I had no idea it was such a piece of work."
"You have scored an immense success," said Jasper enthusiastically. "Oh, Phronsie! you will make the hit of the season."
"You'll think it is even much nicer when it is done," said Polly, vastly relieved that Jasper had given such a kind verdict. "It's to have a dash of royal purple on that right side, and in one of the shoulder knots, and to catch up her train."
"That will be very pretty, I don't doubt," said Jasper, trying to resolve himself into the cold critic, "but it seems to me it is almost perfect now, Polly."
"Oh! thank you so much," she cried, with blooming cheeks. "How do you like it, Clare and Bensie?"
"I can't tell," said Ben, slowly regarding the Princess on all sides; "it's so transforming."
"It's tiptop!" cried Clare. "It out-princesses any princess I've ever imagined."
"Well, it's a perfect relief," said Polly, "to have you boys come in. I've been working so over it that I was ready to say it was horrid. It's too bad, isn't it, that Dick can't be here to-day to rehearse his part?"
"To be sure," exclaimed Jasper, looking around, "where is the Princess's page?"
"He's gone to the dentist's," said Polly, making a wry face. "Auntie had to make the appointment for this afternoon, and we couldn't put off the rehearsal; Clare can't come any other time, you know."
Phronsie turned an anxious face to the window. "I hope he's not being hurt very much," she said slowly.
"I don't believe he is," Polly made haste to answer most cheerfully, "it was only one tooth, you know, Phronsie, to be filled. Auntie says Dr. Porter told her the rest are all right."
But a cloud rested on the Princess's face. "One tooth is something," she said.
"Just think how nice it will be when it is all over, and Dick comes scampering in," cried Jasper, with great hilarity.
"Do climb up on the sofa, Phronsie," urged Polly, looking into the pale little face, "you must sit down and rest a bit, you're so tired."
"I will read the prologue while she rests," said Jasper.
"So you can," said Polly. "Take care, child," in alarm, "you mustn't curl up in the corner like that; princesses don't ever do so."
"Don't they?" said Phronsie, flying off from the lovely corner, to straighten out again into the dignity required; "not when they are little girls, Polly?"
"No, indeed," said Polly, with a rescuing hand among the silver spangles and lace; they must never forget that they are princesses, Phronsie. There now, you're all right."
"Oh!" said Phronsie, sitting quite stiffly, glad if she could not be comfortable, she could be a princess.
"'Gentle ladies and brave sirs,'" began Jasper in a loud, impressive tone, from the temporary stage, the large rug in front of the crackling hearth fire.
Clare burst into a laugh. "See here now," cried Jasper, brandishing his text at him, "if you embarrass me like that, you may leave, you old dragon!"
"You ought to see your face," cried Clare. "Jap, you are anything but a hit."
"You'll be yet," declared Jasper with a pretended growl, and another flourish of the manuscript.
"Go on, do," implored Polly, "I think it is lovely. Clare, you really ought to be ashamed," and she shook her brown head severely at him.
"If I don't quench such melodrama in the outset," said Clare, "he'll ruin us all. Fair ladies and brave sirs," mimicking to perfection Jasper's tones.
"Thank you for a hint," cried Jasper, pulling out his pencil. "I didn't say 'fair'; that's better than 'gentle.' I wish critics would always be so useful as to give one good idea. Heigho! here goes again:
"'Fair ladies and brave sirs, The player's art is to amuse, Instruct, or to confuse By too much good advice, But poorly given: That no one follows, because, forsooth, 'Tis thrown at him, neck and heels. The drama, pure and simple, is forgot In tugging in the moral'"?
"I thought you were going to alter 'tugging in' to something more elegant," said Polly.
"Lugging in," suggested Clare, with another laugh.
"Morals are always tugged in by the head and shoulders," said Jasper. "Why not say so?"
"We should have pretty much the whole anatomy of the human form divine, if you had your way," cried Clare. "Listen!
"'Because, forsooth, 'tis