“Well, you must take the cap round for the money.”

“I will.  I forgot to say that my own triangle at home, the Strad, is in the chromatic scale of A, and has a splice.  It generally gets the chromatics very badly in the winter.”

While the others practised their songs, I practised taking the cap round, and by tea-time we all knew our parts perfectly.  I had received permission to join in the choruses, and I was also to be allowed to do a little dance with Myra.  When you think that I had charge of the financial arrangements as well, you can understand that I felt justified in considering myself the leader of the troupe.

“In fact,” I said, “you ought to black your faces so as to distinguish yourselves from me.”

“We won’t black our faces,” said Dahlia, “but we’ll wear masks; and we might each carry a little board explaining why we’re doing this.”

“Right,” said Archie; and he sat down and wrote a notice for himself—­

“I am an orphan.  So are the others, but they are not so orphan as I am.  I am extremely frequent.”

Dahlia said—­

“We are doing this for an advertisement.  If you like us, send A Shilling for A free sample concert, mentioning this paper.  Your money back if we are not satisfied with it.”

Simpson announced—­

“World’s long distance cornetist. Holder of the oboe record on
grass.  Runner-up in the ocarina Welter weights (strangle hold barred).  Mixed zither Champion (1907, covered Courts).”

Myra said—­

“Kind friends, help us.  We were wrecked this afternoon.  The cornet
was sinking for the third time when it was rescued, and had to be
brought round by artificial respiration.  Can you spare us A drink of
water?”

As for myself I had to hand the Simpson yachting cap round, and my notice said—­

“We want your money.  If you cannot give us any, for heaven’s sake keep the cap.”

We had an early dinner, so as to be in time to serenade our victims when they were finishing their own meal and feeling friendly to the world.  Then we went upstairs and dressed.  Dahlia and Myra had kimonos, Simpson put on his dressing-gown, in which he fancies himself a good deal, and Archie and I wore brilliantly-coloured pyjamas over our other clothes.