"Please go on dancing," begged Marjorie. "I'm all right, only I think I'll sit still and watch. It's made my legs feel shaky. I never thought of the candle and the size of my cap." "It's spoilt your costume," said Sylvia commiseratingly. "And yours was the best in all the room--everybody's been saying so. I wanted to get a snapshot of you in it to-morrow." "Take Betty instead. She's the limit in that Zouave get-up. And if you wouldn't mind using an extra film, I'd like one of Chrissie. Chrissie"--Marjorie caught her breath in a little gasp--"has saved my life to-night!" CHAPTER XVIII Enchanted Ground Marjorie and Dona spent the larger part of the Easter holidays with an aunt in the north. They had a few days at home, mostly devoted to visits to the dentist and the dressmaker, and then boxes were once more packed, and they started off on the now familiar journey back to Brackenfield. Joan watched the preparations wistfully. "Do you think the Empress would take a girl of eight?" she enquired in all seriousness. "Not unless you could be used as a mascot or a school monkey," returned Marjorie. "You might come in handy at the nursing lectures, when we get to the chapter on 'How to Wash and Dress a Baby', or you'd do to practise bandaging on. Otherwise you'd be considerably in the way." "Don't be horrid!" pouted Joan. "I'm to go to Brackenfield some time. Mother said so." "You'll have to wait five years yet, my hearty. Why, do you know, even Dona is called a kiddie at Brackenfield?" "Dona!" Joan's eyes were big. "Yes, some of the girls look almost as old as Nora, and they've turned up their hair. It's a fact. You needn't stare." "You'll go all in good time, poor old Baba," said Dona. "You wouldn't like to be in a form all by yourself, without any other little girls, and there's no room for a preparatory unless they build, and that's not possible in war-time. You must peg on for a while with Miss Hazelwood, and then perhaps Mother'll send you to a day school. After all, you know, it's something to be the youngest in the family. You score over that." Both Marjorie and Dona were looking forward to the summer term. Those of their chums who were old Brackenfielders had dwelt strongly on its advantages compared with the autumn or spring terms. It was the season for cricket and tennis, for country walks, picnics, and natural history excursions. Most of the activities were arranged for out of doors, and a larger amount of liberty was allowed the girls than had been possible during the period of short days.