“Don’t you know it’s highly improper for a school-girl even to mention a laddie?” murmured Katherine ironically.
“How about the blinded soldiers, then?”
“That’s another matter, I suppose.”
“Look here—let’s take our programme to the Bumble, and get her to pass it beforehand, and then there can be no criticisms afterwards.”
“Right you are!”
“I’ve got another idea,” propounded Raymonde. “Suppose, instead of having our concert in the lecture hall, we ask the Bumble to let us have it in the barn instead? It would be just twice as coony.”
“Top-hole! It would be a regular stunt!” agreed the committee.
A deputation waited upon Miss Beasley, and found her quite gracious and amenable to reason, both in respect of the choice of plantation ditties and the use of the barn as a place of entertainment. She even vouchsafed the further and most valuable suggestion that they might supply refreshments and charge for them, to help to swell the funds.
“You can send an order to the Stores at Gladford to-morrow for cakes and biscuits. Cook shall make you some lemonade, and you may have the oil stove in the barn and supply cocoa at twopence a cup.”
“May we sell sweets, Miss Beasley?” asked Raymonde tentatively. 246