She sat down on the floor and began to eat, lost to everything but icing and currants and pastry.  William made for the door, then he paused, gazed wistfully at the feast, stepped back, and, grabbing a cream bun in each hand, crept quietly away.

Bettine in her print frock was at the door of the school.

“Hurry up!” she said anxiously.  “You’re going to be late.  The others are all out.  They’re waiting to begin.  Miss Dewhurst’s out there.  They’re all come but you an’ the Queen.  I stayed ’cause you asked me to stay to help you.”

He came in and shut the door.

“You’re goin’ to be May Queen,” he announced firmly.

“Me?” she said in amazement.

“Yes.  An’ I’m goin’ to be King.”

He unwrapped his parcel.

“Look!” he said.

He had ransacked his sister’s bedroom.  Once Ethel had been to a fancy dress dance as a Fairy.  Over Bettine’s print frock he drew a crumpled gauze slip with wings, torn in several places.  On her brow he placed a tinsel crown at a rakish angle.  And she quivered with happiness.

“Oh, how lovely!” she said.  “How lovely!  How lovely!”

His own preparations were simpler.  He tied a red sash that he had taken off his sister’s hat over his right shoulder and under his left arm on the top of his smock.  Someone had once given him a small ’bus conductor’s cap with a toy set of tickets and clippers.  He placed the cap upon his head with its peak over one eye.  It was the only official headgear he had been able to procure.  Then he took a piece of burnt cork from his parcel and solemnly drew a fierce and military moustache upon his cheek and lip.  To William no kind of theatricals was complete without a corked moustache.

Then he took Bettine by the hand and led her out to the Maypole.

The dancers were all waiting holding the ribbons.  The audience was assembled and a murmur of conversation was rising from it.  It ceased abruptly as William and Bettine appeared.  William’s father, mother and sister were in the front row.  Robert was not there.  Robert had declined to come to anything in which that little wretch was to perform.  He’d jolly well had enough of that little wretch to last his lifetime, thank you very much.

[Illustration:  WILLIAM AND BETTINE STEPPED SOLEMNLY HAND IN HAND UPON THE LITTLE PLATFORM WHICH HAD BEEN PROVIDED FOR THE MAY QUEEN.]

William and Bettine stepped solemnly hand in hand upon the little platform which had been provided for the May Queen.

Miss Dewhurst, who was chatting amicably to the parents till the last of her small performers should appear, seemed suddenly turned to stone, with mouth gaping and eyes wide.  The old fiddler, who was rather short-sighted, struck up the strains, and the dancers began to dance.  The audience relaxed, leaning back in their chairs to enjoy the scene.  Miss Dewhurst was still frozen.  There were murmured comments.  “How curious to have that boy there!  A sort of attendant, I suppose.”