Can any of you recite?"
There were symptoms of a general panic. Dolores was known to recite
"Locksley Hall" on the least provocation. There had been occasions
when her opening line, "Comrades, leave me here a little," had been
taken as a literal injunction by a large section of her hearers.
There was a murmur of relief when Rollo hastily declared that he
could do a few conjuring tricks. He had never done one in his life,
but those two visits to the library had goaded him to unusual
recklessness.
"You've seen conjuring chaps take coins and cards out of people," he
announced; "well, I'm going to take more interesting things out of
some of you. Mice, for instance."
"Not mice!"
A shrill protest rose, as he had foreseen, from the majority of his
audience.
"Well, fruit, them."
The amended proposal was received with approval. Agnes positively
beamed.
Without more ado Rollo made straight for his trio of enemies,
plunged his hand successively into their breast-pockets, and
produced three peaches. There was no applause, but no amount of
hand-clapping would have given the performer as much pleasure as the
silence which greeted his coup.
"Of course, we were in the know," said the Wrotsley cousin lamely.
"That's done it," chuckled Rollo to himself.
"If they HAD been confederates they would have sworn they knew
nothing about it," said Dolores, with piercing conviction.
"Do you know any more tricks?" asked Mrs. Jallatt hurriedly.
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