It seemed very lonely the next day, when Edith and Hilda had gone. The spare room was shorn of its two cots, and was restored to its usual dainty order. Will and Archie left also, as their school began the next Monday, and they went to board, in the neighbourhood of their house, till Edna was sufficiently recovered for them to be at home. She had had a very light attack of scarlet fever, fortunately, and was already improving. As soon as the boys left, Eunice and Cricket returned to their own domains. College opened and Don was off. On Tuesday, the girls’ school, St. Agatha’s, was in session again, so now they all settled down to the busy time that lies between Christmas and Easter.
At the close of the half-year at St. Agatha’s, early in February, came the great excitement of the year. This was an exhibition, consisting of a play, given in French by some of the older girls, and a short play in English by some of the children in the junior department. As only the girls whose scholarship was high, and deportment uniformly good, were allowed to take part in the plays, of course it was one of the chief honours of the year to be selected. The announcement of the favoured girls was eagerly awaited.
The French play was learned as class work during the fall term by all the senior girls in the French classes. The list of those chosen to give the plays was read on the first day of school after the Christmas holidays.
Much rehearsing and genuine hard work on the part of the actors, as well as of the teachers, went into this yearly exhibition, but the honour paid for all the extra hours, and the names of the girls who took the parts were preserved in the school year-book.
As Marjorie had been in the French play the year before, she could not be in it again, this year, although her marks were well up. Since Eunice and Cricket had only entered St. Agatha’s this year, they never thought of the possibility of either of them being in the play. Therefore you can imagine Eunice’s blank amazement when her name was read among the others:
“Miss Eunice Ward is assigned the part of Sallie, the maid.”
“Eunice?” said Cricket, right out loud, her eyes shining like two stars. “Oh, do you think she can?”
Apparently Eunice’s teachers thought she could, for they had given her the very good part of a little housemaid. The “cast” were requested to wait after school, to be given their books and be instructed in their parts.
Cricket was on tiptoe with excitement when Eunice came home, trying to look unconcerned and every-day-ish. Cricket flew at her with a little shriek of delight, and squeezed her eagerly.
“Eunice! Eunice! think of your being given a part in a real play! What will you wear? Will it be hard to learn? When do you have to know it? Do they begin rehearsing soon? Could I go to the rehearsals, do you think?”