They rehearsed for an hour or more, and declared they understood their parts perfectly.
“But you must disguise your voice more, Betty,” said Jack. “Talk as if you had a cold in your throat.”
So Betty tried again and succeeded in achieving a hoarse, harsh whisper.
“That’ll do,” said Jack, approvingly. “Talk like that and you’ll be all right.”
At last the first of April came, and the other girls came over to Betty’s to start off together on their escapade.
Mrs. McGuire had been taken into the secret at the last moment, thus having had no chance inadvertently to give a hint to the unsuspecting victim.
She helped the three girls to make themselves look as much as possible like full-grown young ladies. And, indeed, the fact that they all wore long dresses and had their hair done up high so changed their appearance that little further disguise was necessary.
Dorothy wore a tailor-made suit of her sister’s. It was of dark-blue cloth and somewhat worn, an old one having been chosen on purpose. A small blue straw hat, with a few roses, was very becoming, and the effect of it, with its carefully adjusted veil, was to make her look fully nineteen or twenty years old.
Jeanette, in a plain little black suit and white shirt-waist, looked a very demure young lady. Her trim black hat showed no touch of color, and her sad little face assumed a pathetic expression that made Jack laugh.
“You’ll do, Jeanette!” he exclaimed; “you’re just a picture of ‘a young lady in reduced circumstances.’”