“The substitute does. Whoever she was, she played the part beautifully except for the last song. I did wonder why she didn’t sing. There was an unscheduled wait when the witch was spinning,” Irene said, “but I never guessed Francine Dow wasn’t there. The show would have been ruined if someone hadn’t stepped in to play the part.”
“But who was that someone?” Judy wanted to know. “And how did she know the lines?”
“There were cards,” Irene explained. “Cards are often used to prompt busy stars. Francine missed the rehearsals so we had the cards ready for her. The man on the dolly held them up.”
“Baby,” little Judy corrected Irene drowsily from Dale’s arms, and promptly fell asleep.
“I wish I could sleep like that without dreaming,” Judy said with a sigh. “My dreams are so real I keep thinking things that are actually happening are part of them. If I could only think—”
“You did all right when you compiled that list your husband showed me. That shows some pretty clear thinking,” Mr. Blake complimented her.
“But this! If I could think back to the exact time—”
“That’s it!” exclaimed Peter. “Now you’re on the right track.”
“Am I? It doesn’t seem possible. But if the lines Francine had to say were on the cards, and the wig and costume were ready, it could have been played by some other actress. But who was she? Who took the part of Sleeping Beauty?”
“We know it wasn’t Francine Dow,” Irene said thoughtfully. “It wasn’t one of the fairies. They were still in costume. I don’t see who it could have been unless—”