"'Mr Derry having explained that the author was not in the house, the audience collected their cauliflowers and left quietly.' I think it's a rotten play."
"Well, it isn't frightfully funny," said Myra, "but we can put that in ourselves."
"It's so jolly hard to say the lines properly—they're so unnatural," complained Thomas. "'Truly thou hast created a favourable impression with the damsel'—well, I mean, it's absurd. Any ordinary person would say 'Truly thou art amongst them, old spot,' or something of that kind."
"Well, you say that, Thomas; you'll be all right,"
"We might put a few songs in," said Dahlia, "and a dance or two."
"I think you've forgotten that we've done only Act I.," remarked Archie. "His Majesty's conjuror doesn't really let himself go till Act II. Still, I'm all for a song and a dance. Simpson, come and Apache with me."
They dashed at each other fiercely.
"Oh, we'll make it go all right," said Myra.
CHAPTER IV
LAST MOMENTS
"Has anybody here seen Kelly?" asked Dahlia, putting her head in at the billiard-room door. "I mean Archie."