“Let’s go back to the others,” said William briskly, “an’ see what he’s goin’ to say about the chocolate creams.”
They emerged on the lawn and made their way to the group around Mrs. Murdoch. Beside Mrs. Murdoch stood Georgie still immaculately clean and smugly smiling, with curls that glinted in the sun.
“Isn’t it too kind of my cousin,” Mrs. Murdoch was saying. “Yes, he loves children. He’s passionately attached to Georgie. He wants the children to do a little scene—he’s passionately interested in literature, of course, being one himself—a little scene from English history—any part of English history—my cousin’s passionately fond of English history—and he’s offered a two pound box of chocolate creams as a prize to the child who acts the best.... Collect your little friends, Georgie, darling.” Georgie’s eyes were still gleaming from the mention of chocolate creams, “and you might go down to the summer-house to talk things over and then come back and act your little scene to us here.”
Georgie, the Outlaws and a few odds and ends of children who do not really come into the story, drifted down to the summer-house. The Outlaws looked at Georgie. Georgie’s eyes still gleamed. Then they looked at William, and with a great relief at their hearts they read in William’s sphinx-like face that at last he was justifying his position as leader. He had a plan.
THE OUTLAWS EMERGED ON THE LAWN AND MADE THEIR
WAY DISGUSTEDLY TOWARDS THE GROUP AROUND MRS.
MURDOCH.
“MY COUSIN’S OFFERED A BOX OF CHOCOLATE CREAMS AS
A PRIZE TO THE ONE WHO ACTS BEST,” MRS. MURDOCH
WAS SAYING. GEORGIE’S EYES GLEAMED.
First of all William kindly but firmly gathered together the odds and ends and despatched them to the kitchen garden.
“There’s too many of us for one scene,” he explained, “so we’ll do one scene and you do another scene. An’ we’d better get right away from each other so’s not to disturb each other ... so you just go’n make up your scene in the kitchen garden where nobody’ll disturb you an’ we’ll stay an’ make up ours here. Georgie’ll show you the way to the kitchen garden.”