Then she paused. "This little scarf--it is Roman, too,--is just the thing for Julius Cæsar." And tying the striped scarf around the neck of the great conqueror, she bolstered the bust on an easy-chair, draping an afghan around him to conceal his lack of body and limbs. [Illustration: "'This little scarf--it is Roman, too,--is just the thing for Julius Cæsar.'"] Then with one or two minor touches to the room she hurried away. CHAPTER VIII A PRIZE WINNER While Martine was thus mischievously occupied, Priscilla, unconscious of what was going on, continued her work. She had not heard her aunt come in, but when she went down to dinner she instantly realized that Mrs. Tilworth was displeased. Was there any possibility that the injury to the bureau-scarf had been discovered? At once Priscilla dismissed that thought, knowing Mrs. Tilworth could not have been in her room, as she herself had not left it. As the young girl turned toward the dining-room Mrs. Tilworth laid her hand on her shoulder. "This way, please," she said briefly, pointing toward the room where Julius Cæsar was enthroned in his easy-chair. Priscilla could not suppress a smile at the absurd sight. "Then you did it?" "I? Why of course not! I haven't been downstairs." Then Priscilla stopped. She remembered her visit to the kitchen, and for the present she was not anxious to explain the glass of milk. "But who could have done this ridiculous thing? An earthquake couldn't have done much more." Priscilla hardly dared glance around the dishevelled room. Some of the results accomplished by Martine were foolish, others were improvements on the original arrangement of things. "You must have had a visitor," continued Mrs. Tilworth, pursuing her search for information. Priscilla was silent. She perceived that Martine had been the mischief-maker, and for the moment she was indignant with her friend. Martine might have realized that an act of this kind would bring Mrs. Tilworth's wrath on Priscilla as well as on the absent perpetrator of the mischief. "Then it was Martine Stratford!" continued Mrs. Tilworth. "I am glad that you had no hand in this foolishness, Priscilla. For I take your word that you have not been downstairs. But I am disappointed in Martine. She has attractive manners, and lately she seemed to be toning down. Certainly she appeared very well at the dinner the other evening. Her mother, too, is a sensible woman. So it must be her father who spoils Martine. The girl has had a training very different from yours, and her sense of responsibility is small." "She didn't mean anything, I am sure of that," protested Priscilla. "Didn't mean anything! That's just the trouble. After this I must ask you to see less of Martine. Really I ought not to have let you spend so much time with her." "Mamma knows all about Martine. She does not object."