Humphrey said at last that he would blow his penny whistle. He hasn’t got any ear at all, and the noise he makes is more like a railway engine than anything else; however, I had to say Yes. Then Teddy suggested that if we covered up his face he could do “Nearer, my God, to Thee” on the comb. Teddy’s the most musical of us all, but I didn’t think it would do, because even if the audience didn’t notice that he was playing his own funeral march, the comb doesn’t seem to be quite right somehow. I said we’d better tie the dinner-bell round Violet’s waist instead, and she could shake herself now and then. Of course she had to hold up the bier with both her hands, so she couldn’t do anything else. We made the bier out of stilts with a long cushion tied between them, and then I thought we were ready. So we lifted it up and Teddy climbed on to the window-sill and got on to the bier from there. He lay down and immediately the strings broke and he went on to the floor--crash! He shrieked and roared and he wouldn’t stop, though I tried to put my arms round him, because he had come a horrid bang, and I promised him my old penknife with half a blade. He thought we’d done it on purpose, so he’d only scream out, “Go away! I won’t act--I won’t! You beast, beast, beast!” At this moment the door opened and we saw--Mother! We all gave one shout and rushed at her. Ted began to squeal with joy instead of screaming, and Violet stopped whimpering, and Humphrey started off talking quite fast. As for me--well, it was dreadfully silly and babyish--but now they’d all stopped I began to cry. I was so happy it seemed as if I couldn’t bear it. Mother understood, like she always does. She didn’t say anything, but put her arm round me tight and let me hide my face in her cape. The others all started talking at once, and she kissed the lump on Teddy’s head and made it well and said she’d do the bier herself, so it would be quite safe. She sent Humphrey down for her fur cape for Young Lochinvar, and she told us Fräulein was quite right about our not taking the musical instruments without leave, but she was sure Father would let us have them. And she said--but this was when I was all right again--that it wouldn’t matter if Violet couldn’t quite get the expression, because brides were always shy and that when she was married to Father her voice sounded like some one else talking and without any expression at all. And then she admired all our dresses very much and went downstairs to ask cook to let us have things for the feast and a bottle of red currant wine, which was more grandeur than we’d ever thought of. After that everything was different, like it always is when Mother’s at home. Oh, I forgot to explain that why we didn’t expect Mother was that Fräulein had never got the last letter. Besides, Mother rather wanted to surprise us.