PHOEBE. And now my triumph is to be denied me, for we must steal away home before Henrietta and Fanny see us. MISS SUSAN. Yes, yes. PHOEBE (_dispirited_). And to-morrow we must say that Livvy has gone back to her father, for I dare keep up this deception no longer. Susan, let us go. (_They are going dejectedly, but are arrested by the apparition of_ MISS HENRIETTA _and_ MISS FANNY _peeping into the tent_. PHOEBE _has just time to signify to her sister that she will confess all and beg for mercy, when the intruders speak._) Miss HENRIETTA (_not triumphant but astounded_). You, Miss Phoebe? PHOEBE (_with bowed head_). Yes. MISS FANNY. How amazing! You do not deny, ma'am, that you are Miss Phoebe? PHOEBE (_making confession_). Yes, Fanny, I am Miss Phoebe. (_To her bewilderment_ HENRIETTA _and_ FANNY _exchange ashamed glances._) MISS HENRIETTA. Miss Phoebe, we have done you a cruel wrong. MISS FANNY. Phoebe, we apologise. MISS HENRIETTA. To think how excitedly we have been following her about in the shrubbery. MISS FANNY. She is wearing your cloak. MISS HENRIETTA. Ensign Blades told us she was gone to the shrubbery. MISS FANNY. And we were convinced there was no such person. MISS HENRIETTA. So of course we thought it must be you. MISS FANNY (_who has looked out_). I can discern her in the shrubbery still. She is decidedly taller than Phoebe. MISS HENRIETTA. I thought she looked taller. I meant to say so. Phoebe, 'twas the cloak deceived us. We could not see her face. PHOEBE (_beginning to understand_). Cloak? You mean, Henrietta--you mean, Fanny-- MISS FANNY. 'Twas wicked of us, my dear, but we--we thought that you and Miss Livvy were the same person. (_They have evidently been stalking_ CHARLOTTE _in_ MISS PHOEBE'S _cloak_. MISS SUSAN _shudders, but_ MISS PHOEBE _utters a cry of reproach, and it is some time before they can persuade her to forgive them. It is of course also some time before we can forgive_ MISS PHOEBE.) Phoebe, you look so pretty. Are they paying you no attentions, my dear? (PHOEBE _is unable to resist these delightful openings. The imploring looks_ MISS SUSAN _gives her but add to her enjoyment. It is as if the sense of fun she had caged a moment ago were broke loose again._) PHOEBE. Alas, they think of none but Livvy. They come to me merely to say that they adore her. MISS HENRIETTA. Surely not Captain Brown? PHOEBE. He is infatuate about her. MISS FANNY. Poor Phoebe! (_They make much of her, and she purrs naughtily to their stroking, with lightning peeps at_ MISS SUSAN. _Affronted Providence seeks to pay her out by sending_ ENSIGN BLADES _into the tent. Then the close observer may see_ MISS PHOEBE'S _heart sink like a bucket in a well_. MISS SUSAN _steals from the tent._) MISS HENRIETTA. Mr. Blades, I have been saying that if I were a gentleman I would pay my addresses to Miss Phoebe much rather than to her niece. BLADES. Ma'am, excuse me.