"It's difficult to reproduce with twentieth-century materials," said the mistress. "One feels all the linens ought to be homespun, and woven in a loom like Penelope's; and as for the scenery--well, we shall just have to do the best we can." "As long as we avoid anachronisms we shall be all right," said Jessie Macpherson. "We shall have to leave something to the imagination of the audience." The whole school was requisitioned to help, and large working parties were held in the dining-room. The girls found it an amusement to hem togas or construct shields out of cardboard and brown paper, and stitched quite elaborate borders on the robes of Veturia, Volumnia, and Valeria. One of the difficulties that presented itself was the question of footgear. Roman matrons did not wear serviceable school shoes with heels, or elegant French ones either. It would certainly be necessary to contrive sandals. "We can't cut our best shoes down for the occasion!" said Marcia Richards. "I'd leave the school first!" returned Phyllis Rowland. Hiring "Roman" sandals was too great an expense, and an ambitious attempt of Jessie Macpherson's to make them out of paper turned out a ghastly failure. In the end Miss Harding cut some from strips of cloth, and this effect proved classical enough to serve the purpose. "That will be the best we can manage," she said. "I'm thankful I haven't to do a dance in mine. It would be a queer sort of shuffle!" confided Dulcie to her chum. In honour of the very special effort which was being made, Miss Birks decided to send a number of invitations and ask quite a considerable gathering to an afternoon performance. "It's going to be really a swell thing for once," said Deirdre. "I hear Miss Birks is getting new curtains--those old ones are quite worn out--and the joiner is to come and fix a rod. And there's to be tea after the entertainment. Such heaps of people are coming!" "Who?" asked Gerda. "Oh, Major and Mrs. Hargreaves and their little boys, and Canon Hall and Miss Hall, and Dr. and Mrs. Dawes, and all the four Miss Hirsts, and the Rector of Kergoff, and Mr. Lawson, and of course Mrs. Trevellyan." "And Ronnie?" "Rather! We wouldn't leave Ronnie out of it! Miss Herbert is to come too, if she hasn't gone home for the holidays." "You've never seen Mrs. Trevellyan yet, Gerda?" put in Dulcie. "Only in church." "Well, but I mean to speak to. You didn't go to Ronnie's birthday party, and the day she came here you were as shy as a baby, and scooted out of the way." "I can't help being shy," returned Gerda, blushing up to the very tips of her ears.