William, while murmuring perfunctory sorrow at these tidings, hastily ran over in his mind various articles of his father's attire that could therefore be safely utilised. The robing of William himself as the villain had cost him much care and thought. He had finally decided upon the drawing-room rug pinned across his shoulder and a fern-pot upon his head. It was a black china fern-pot and rather large, but it rested upon William's ears, and gave him a commanding and sinister appearance. He also carried an umbrella.
These preparations took longer than the caste had foreseen, and, when finally large moustaches had been corked upon the hero's, villain's and crowd's lips, the lunch-bell sounded from the hall.
"Jus' all finished in time!" said William the optimist.
"Yes, but wot about the rehearsal," said the crowd gloomily, "wot about that?"
"Well, you've had the book to learn the stuff," said William, "that's enough, isn't it? I don't s'pose real acting people bother with rehearsals. It's quite easy. You jus' learn your stuff an' then say it. It's silly wasting time over rehearsals."
"Have you learnt wot you say, William Brown?" said the heroine shrilly.
"I know wot I say," said William loftily, "I don't need to learn!"
"William!" called a stern sisterly voice from the house, "mother says come and get ready for lunch."
William merely ejected his tongue in the direction of the voice and made no answer.
"We'd better be taking off the things," he said, "so's to be in time for this afternoon. Haf-past two it begins, then we can have a nice long go at it. Put all the things away careful behind that box so's bothering ole people can't get at them an' make a fuss."