"I am St. George, who from Old England sprung,
My famous name throughout the world hath rung."
And the performance went off quite as creditably as before.
As the children acted, the old man's anger wore off. He watched them with an interest he could not repress. When Nicholas took some hard thwacks from St. George without flinching, the old man clapped his hands; and, after the encounter between St. George and the Black Prince, he said he would not have the dogs excluded on any consideration. It was just at the end, when they were all marching round and round, holding on by each other's swords "over the shoulder," and singing "A mumming we will go, etc.," that Nicholas suddenly brought the circle to a stand-still by stopping dead short and staring up at the wall before him.
"What are you stopping for?" said St. George, turning indignantly round.
"Look there!" cried Nicholas, pointing to a little painting which hung above the old man's head.
Robin looked, and said, abruptly, "It's Dora."
"Which is Dora?" asked the old man, in a strange, sharp tone.
"Here she is," said Robin and Nicholas in one breath, as they dragged her forward.
"She's the Doctor," said Robin; "and you can't see her face for her things. Dor, take off your cap and pull back that hood. There! Oh, it is like her!"