Among other items of the program, Linda had fixed upon a French Pastoral
Play, which was to be acted in the garden among the trees and lilac
bushes. The girls were really supposed to get up the whole of the
little entertainment by themselves, but Mademoiselle was kind in this
instance, and helped to coach them. The scene was to be a Fete
Champetre, and the costumes were to be copied from some of Watteau's
pictures. There were tremendous consultations over them. A dressmaking
Bee was held every afternoon from four to five o'clock in the small
lecture-room, Miss Bishop generously lending her sewing machine for the
purpose. Here a band of willing workers sat and stitched and chattered
and laughed and ate chocolates, while pretty garments grew rapidly under
their fingers. The dresses were only made of cheap materials, and were
hastily put together, but they had a very good effect, for the colors
were gay, and the style, with its panniers and lace frills was charming.
The girls would hardly have managed the cutting out quite unaided, had
not Miss Lever offered her assistance. "Dollikins" had large experience
in the preparation of school theatricals, and possessed many invaluable
paper patterns, so she was given a royal welcome, and installed at the
table with the biggest and sharpest pair of scissors at her disposal.
On the afternoon fixed for the entertainment quite a goodly audience
assembled to watch and applaud. Mothers were in the majority, with a
fair number of aunts and elder sisters, and just a sprinkling of
fathers. Forms had been carried into the garden and arranged as an
amateur theater, a flat piece of lawn with a background of bushes
serving as stage. The program was to be representative of the whole
school, so the first part was devoted to the performances of the
Juniors. Twelve small damsels selected from Forms I. and II. gave a
classic dance. They were dressed in Greek costume with sandals, and wore
chaplets of roses round their hair. They had been carefully trained by
Miss Barbour, the drill mistress, and went through their parts with a
joyousness reminiscent of the Golden Age. The Morris Dance which
followed, rendered by members of Forms III. and IV., though hardly so
graceful, was sprightly and in good time, the fantastic dresses with
their bells and ribbons suiting most of their wearers. It was felt that
the Juniors had distinguished themselves, and "Dollikins," who with Miss
Barbour had worked hard on their behalf, felt almost justified in
bragging of their achievements.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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