It was easier said than done, however; the strangers seemed to have changed their tactics, and instead of pursuing Ingred and Verity now endeavored to avoid them. No "elusive Pimpernels" could have been more difficult to follow. They would come quite close and then suddenly dodge and glide away, only to reappear and repeat the same tantalizing performance. Ingred and Verity began to get on their mettle. It was so evidently done on purpose that they were fully determined to catch the errant pair. After a long game at hide-and-seek they at last managed to dance along side them, and laying violent hands upon them, to drag them into the light of a lantern. As Ingred gazed for a moment in perplexity, the Early Victorian lady gave a most un-Early Victorian wink inside the poke bonnet. "Hereward! How _dare_ you!" gasped his sister. A firm hand drew her away from the light, and in the shelter of a laurel bush, a voice, choking with laughter, proclaimed: "Done you, old girl! Done you brown! What about that bet? I told you you'd never know me!" "You abominable young wretch," replied Ingred, laughing in spite of herself. "How _did_ you manage it? And who is your friend?" "Allow me to introduce Vashti, Queen of Persia!" "Bunkum! It's a boy! I know it is!" The explosive sounds issuing from under the shimmering veil of Queen Vashti certainly sounded more masculine than feminine, and that Persian princess confessed presently to the name of Franklin. "He's a chum of mine," explained Hereward, "and he lives close by, so we made it up to come together. His sister lent us the clothes and dressed us. I say, your Prioress never found us out, did she? What about that prize?" "There isn't going to be a prize, and you certainly wouldn't have deserved it! Look here, you'd better wangle yourselves off before it gets about who you are. _I_ should get into a row, not you!" "Would the Prioress kick up rough?" "She'd probably think I'd planned the whole business, and encouraged you to come." "Even if we apologized?" "She wouldn't accept an apology. If you want me to have any tennis next week, you had better clear out." "Just a round with you first, and Franklin can take your friend, or vice versa if you prefer it!" "You impudent boy! Certainly not. I daren't risk it. Look, Miss Strong is bringing out the lamp, and putting it on the sun-dial, and I believe Miss Perry is going to take a flashlight photo presently. If you want to disgrace me for ever----" "We'll go!" sighed a mournful voice. "Though it's Adam and Eve turned out of Paradise. I say, Franklin, they don't want us, after all our trouble! We'd better be getting on, I suppose. Our deepest respects to the Prioress. She's given us a delightful evening, if she only knew it. We'd like to come again some time. Ta-ta!" CHAPTER XXI The Abbey Recital