“Mama isn’t here, Beth dear. We have to do our ‘gymsticks’ now. That’s what Dirk called gymnastics when he was a little tot,” said Natalie, disengaging herself, now that she had done her duty by Beth, and going to join the older girls, her special chums. “I’m going to start Beth in, Mr. Leonard; you can go on with the class,” said Dirk. “That’s right. She can begin with the simple exercises, you know, and watch the others. Dirk can start you just as well as I can, little new Bluebird,” said Mr. Leonard, moving away with that merry smile of his which won Beth’s instant affection. “Isn’t he nice!” she cried fervently. “You don’t call him Bob when you speak to him, do you?” Dirk hastily scanned Beth’s face for the rebuke that was farthest from her thoughts. Not seeing it, he shrugged his shoulders and said easily: “You can’t do that, you know, unless you had settled with him to do it. ’Twouldn’t go here in class, anyway. But no fellow would tag such a dandy chap as he is with mister when you talked about him. Nice! Well, I just guess! He’s the jimmest of all the jim dandies you ever saw!” The class had fallen into line and Mr. Leonard, altering his mind, beckoned Beth and Dirk to join it. He put them through a rapid sword practice, with short sticks instead of more dangerous weapons, right and left, forward thrusts, falling back, advancing, one hand on hip, the other making swift play with the wands. At first Beth was awkward, half afraid, but in five minutes this had gone from her, and she was almost keeping up with the older, more experienced girls. Her muscles were supple and sound, thanks to her freedom to romp and play in her old Massachusetts country village life. That life was now seeming more and more like a dream as the new life in this great city grew familiar. Alys was especially good in this practice. There was a cat-like grace about Alys and she moved as quickly, almost as lithely as a cat. She, too, was a “Bluebird” but in pale blue. Aunt Alida chose shades for Alys which harmonized with her delicacy of coloring and which emphasized the whiteness of her fair skin. After this exercise Mr. Leonard took his pupils through trapeze exercises which made Beth gasp with an admiration that held fear of the day when she should be expected to attempt such feats. Dirk did not allow her long to admire them; he forced Beth into laying the foundations of her athletic education. He was much surprised to find her his equal in climbing. “Goodness, that’s nothing!” panted Beth when Dirk expressed this surprise. She sat easily on a swinging bar, her arms around its supporting ropes, while she tightened her slipping hair ribbons and readjusted the cap which was secretly her pride and which Dirk could not persuade her to lay aside.