"
Boys do not carry things off well. Philip got very red, but I
said--"Oh, please come to the nursery, Aunt Isobel. There are lots of
things to do." She came, and was invaluable. I never said anything
about the row to her, and she never said anything to me. That is what
I call a friend!
The first thing Philip did was to unlock the property-box in his room
and bring the Dragon and things back. The second thing he did was to
mend the new scene by replacing the bit he had cut out, glueing canvas
on behind it, and touching up with paint where it joined.
We soon put straight what had been disarranged. Blinds were drawn,
candles lighted, seats fixed, and the theatre began to look like
itself. Aunt Isobel and I were bringing in the footlights, when we saw
Bobby at the extreme right of the stage wrapped in his cloak, and
contemplating, with apparent satisfaction, twelve old hats and six
pasteboard bandboxes which were spread before him.
"My dear Bobby, what are these?" said Aunt Isobel. Bobby
hastily--almost stammeringly--explained,
"I am Twelve Travellers, you know, Aunt Isobel."
"Dear me!" said Aunt Isobel.
"I'll show you how I am going to do it," said Bobby.
"Here are twelve old hats--I have had such work to collect them!--and
six bandboxes.
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