"The orchestra has come, after all," said Mrs. Agnew to her husband, in the front room. Her voice breathed relief.
He nodded satisfaction. "So I hear. I don't know how they managed it, but I accept the fact without question."
"Do you think it's always safe to do that?" queried his son Chester, coming up in time to hear.
"Accept facts without question? What else can you do with facts?"
"But if they should turn out not to be facts?"
"In this case I have the evidence of my ears," returned the learned man, comfortably, and Chester walked away again, his eyes dancing.
"Nobody can tell you from Lindmann," he whispered, behind the screen, during an interval.
"That's good. Hope the delusion keeps up. We don't feel much like Lindmann," returned Churchill, hastily turning over a pile of music. "Get your crowd to talking as loud as it can--then we're comparatively safe. Where's the second violin part of 'King Manfred'? Look out, Just--you hit my elbow twice with your bow-arm last time. These quarters are a bit--There you are, Charlotte. Now take this thing slow, and look to your phrasing. All ready!"
The costume dances did not come until after supper. By that time the Churchills and Birches, behind the screen, had settled down to steady work. During supper a violin, with the 'cello and bass, carried on the music, while Doctor Churchill, Celia and Carolyn Houghton planned a substitute programme for the dances.
In two cases they found the original music familiar; in most of the others it proved not very difficult to adapt other music. The leaders of the dances were told that whatever happened they were to carry through their parts without showing signs of distress.