The conclave gave his under-
lip time to steady itself while it debated the choice of the
necessary word. "Mustang" was no good, as half the girls wouldn't
know what it meant; finally "quagga" was pitched on.
"You must come and sit down over here," chorused the investigating
committee on their return; but Rollo was obdurate in insisting that
the questioned person always stood up. On the whole, it was a
relief when the game was ended and supper was announced.
Mrs. Jallatt did not stint her young guests, but the more expensive
delicacies of her supper-table were never unnecessarily duplicated,
and it was usually good policy to take what you wanted while it was
still there. On this occasion she had provided sixteen peaches to
"go round" among fourteen children; it was really not her fault that
the two Wrotsleys and their cousin, foreseeing the long foodless
drive home, had each quietly pocketed an extra peach, but it was
distinctly trying for Dolores and the fat and good-natured Agnes
Blaik to be left with one peach between them.
"I suppose we had better halve it," said Dolores sourly.
But Agnes was fat first and good-natured afterwards; those were her
guiding principles in life. She was profuse in her sympathy for
Dolores, but she hastily devoured the peach, explaining that it
would spoil it to divide it; the juice ran out so.
"Now what would you all like to do?" demanded Mrs. Jallatt by way of
diversion. "The professional conjurer whom I had engaged has failed
me at the last moment.
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