'
'Ah! here comes the pony-carriage. Well, Lily, send her to me if you
repent.'
The sisters came out to find the Butterfly's Ball in full action. Fly
had become a Butterfly by the help of a battered pair of fairy wings,
stretched on wire, which were part of the theatrical stock. 'The shy
little Dormouse' was creeping about on all fours under a fur jacket,
with a dilapidated boa for a long tail, but her 'blind brother the
Mole' had escaped from her, and had been transformed into the Frog, by
means of a spotted handkerchief over his back, and tremendous leap-frog
jumps. Primrose, in another pair of fairy wings, was personating the
Dragon-fly and all his relations, 'green, orange, and blue.' Valetta,
in perfect content with the present, with a queer pair of ears, and a
tail made of an old brush, sat up and nibbled as Squirrel. The
Grasshopper was performing antics which made him not easily
distinguishable from the Frog, and the Spider was actually descending
by a rope from the balusters, while his mother, standing somewhat
aghast, breathed a hope that 'poor Harlequin's' fall was not part of
the programme. But she did not interfere, having trust in the
gymnastics that were studied at school by Jasper, who had been beguiled
into the game by Fly's fascinations.
'A far more realistic performance than the Rotherwood Butterfly's Ball
is likely to be,' said Aunt Jane, aside, as the various guests came up
for her departing kiss. 'And much more entertaining, if they could
only think so.
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