Tyltyl.Because they have nothing to say....

Mytyl.Why have they nothing to say?...

Tyltyl.You're a nuisance....

[A pause]

Mytyl.When will you turn the diamond?

Tyltyl.You heard Light say that I was to wait until midnight, because that disturbs them less....

Mytyl.Why does that disturb them less?...

Tyltyl.Because that is when they go out to take the air....

Mytyl.Is it not midnight yet?...

Tyltyl.Do you see the church clock?...

Mytyl.Yes, I can even see the small hand....

Tyltyl.Well, midnight is just going to strike.... There!...Do you hear?...

[The clock strikes twelve.]

Mytyl.I want to go away!...

Tyltyl.Not now.... I am going to turn the diamond....

Mytyl.No, no!...Don't!...I want to go away!...I am so frightened, little brother!...I am terribly frightened!...

Tyltyl.But there is no danger....

Mytyl.I don't want to see the dead!...I don't want to see them!...

Tyltyl.Very well, you shall not see them; shut your eyes...

Mytyl(clinging to TYLTYL'S TYLTYL'Sclothes). Tyltyl, I can't stay!...

No, I can't possibly!...They are going to come out of the ground!...

Tyltyl.Don't tremble like that.... They will only come out for a moment....

Mytyl.But you're trembling too!...They will be awful!...

Tyltyl.It is time, the hour is pa.s.sing....

[TYLTYLturns the diamond.]

Petrova could not be frightened enough. Miss Jay stopped the rehearsal over and over again.

'Petrova, dear, remember you are frightened. You are in a churchyard alone with your little brother in the middle of the night, and you know that in a minute or two he is going to turn the diamond on his cap which you think will bring all the ghosts out of their graves. You are cold and shivering....' She stopped because Petrova was crying. She put her arm round her. 'Don't cry because you can't act, my child; save those tears up for when you are acting. If you could cry like that when you say: "I want to go away!...I am so frightened, little brother!" then we should get something from you; now we get nothing except Petrova saying lines that she has learnt.'

Petrova went on sobbing.

'I don't feel like Mytyl,' she choked, 'just standing here in uniform looking exactly like Pauline. I don't even feel she's my brother; it doesn't feel like night; if only I was dressed up....'

After that the children were dressed for every rehearsal. They did not wear the actual clothes they would wear at the matinee, of course; but Pauline wore shorts and a shirt, and Petrova an ap.r.o.n and a red-riding-hood cloak over her frock. The clothes made a great difference: as soon as they were put on they were Tyltyl and Mytyl, and though Petrova was still often made to say a sentence ten or twenty times over at each rehearsal, people stopped wondering if she was good enough to play the part.

In the dancing cla.s.ses the same strenuous work was going on. Even children as small and smaller than Posy were expected to rehea.r.s.e thirteen hours a week, as well as doing their ordinary lessons. Posy had nothing to say, but she danced as an Hour, and a Star, and she was an unborn child. To her the dancing rehearsals were easy; but they caused a lot of tears among the other children. They were never allowed to forget that they were training for the professional stage, and slovenly work was therefore inexcusable. The dances, once learnt, had to be performed as to timing, en trance, and sequence of steps. Any child who, after reasonable rehearsal, made a mistake was turned out, and no arguing was allowed; sobs and pleading fell on deaf ears. Even Posy had to concentrate so hard that she usually slept all the way home. Sometimes Petrova and Pauline did, too, but they were rather ashamed when they did. There was some excuse, they thought, for Posy, who would not be eight until September, but none at all for themselves.

Over the making of the clothes Mrs Simpson, Cook, and Clara helped Nana. Each child had three changes. Tyltyl and Mytyl had only night things when the curtain rose; but they then changed into very plain peasant dress, and from that into their grand fairy-tale frocks. Pauline, as Hop O' My Thumb, had scarlet satin knickers and a pale blue satin coat, and Petrova in Red Riding Hood's dress - a jade-green satin frock and a black-velvet bodice and white blouse and ap.r.o.n under her scarlet cloak. Posy's dresses were only little bits of chiffon; but they took time, and time was a thing there was very little of in that house. Even fittings for the dresses had to be squeezed out of time that belonged to walks or meals.

One day at the beginning of July, when the children really had stopped making mistakes at rehearsals, and were so tired of the play that they wished that it had never been written, and so tired from hard work that they thought everybody else was being horrid to them, they went down on to the tube station at Gloucester Road, and there saw the first poster about the matinee. At the top it said all about the hospital, and under that, very large, 'Matinee of The Blue Bird', and under that, 'By Maurice Maeterlinck'; then under that, in small letters, 'Performed by the students of...'; then in large letters 'The Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training'; then followed a list of all the famous ex-students who were dancing and acting. Right at the bottom was written 'Tyltyl...Pauline Fossil'; 'Mytyl...Petrova Fossil'.

Nana and the three children stared at the poster, reading every word from top to bottom. When they got into the train, Posy expressed the pride that they all felt.

'To think that we should have our name stuck up in a train!'

CHAPTER VIII.

The Matinee ON the day of the matinee Pauline woke very early, but Petrova was awake before her. Petrova was sitting up in bed with both her hands holding that bit that comes in the middle just below the bottom ribs. the day of the matinee Pauline woke very early, but Petrova was awake before her. Petrova was sitting up in bed with both her hands holding that bit that comes in the middle just below the bottom ribs.

'What are you doing?' Pauline asked.

Petrova did not move her hands.

'This bit of me feels very queer - like when you miss a step on the moving staircase and think you are going to fall to the bottom.'

Pauline shook herself. Then she held the same place.

'That bit of me feels the same. Do you think it's the matinee this afternoon?'

'Yes.' Petrova's voice wobbled with fright. 'I'm afraid I'll forget my words.'

'Even if you did, Miss Jay is standing in the prompt corner with the book, and she says if we look at her she will tell us what to say.'

'I know.' Petrova sounded very depressed. 'But all the same I do, do do wish it was over.' wish it was over.'

Pauline thought a moment, and thinking of the afternoon, her inside felt most extraordinary.

'Oh, so do I,' she agreed with fervour.

Nana came in, and found them both holding their middles.

'What's that for?' she asked, drawing up the blind.

'Our insides feel queer because of this afternoon,' Pauline explained.

'Stuff and nonsense,' said Nana. 'Your insides feel queer because they want breakfast. With the lovely performance you all gave at the dress rehearsal, there's nothing to feel queer about.' She sat down between them. 'How would those insides feel if they had breakfast in bed, with sausages ?'

Breakfast in bed only happened when they were ill, and sausages only on Sundays, so one way and another their insides felt a lot steadier, even before Nana brought in the trays. Just as they were going to eat, Posy came in with nothing on but the bath-mat and gave an imitation of the ex-student who was being 'Water' at the matinee. 'Water' was a very good dancer, but she had rather a big behind, and in Posy's imitation it did not look any smaller; and they all laughed so much that Nana made Posy stop because she thought they would upset their tea into their beds. No inside could feel even a bit queer after laughing like that.

When they were dressed, Pauline got them all into a corner. It was, she said, a very important day, seeing that their name was going to be printed on programmes for the first time, and she thought they ought to vow.

Posy looked shocked.

'But it's n.o.body's birthday.'

'Doesn't have to be,' Pauline argued. 'We said we'd always vow on a birthday, but we never said we wouldn't vow on other days.' She started quickly: 'We three Fossils vow to try and put our name into History books because it's our very own and n.o.body can say it's because of our Grandfathers.'

'We vow,' said Petrova and Posy, and held up their hands.

Posy, who was feeling silly because she was excited, did what she had not done since the first vowing: she spoke deep in her inside, which she could not do, and a most extraordinary sound came out. For a moment Pauline and Petrova looked cross, then suddenly they began to laugh, and they laughed so long that Nana came in.

'There's no need to act silly because you're doing a matinee,' she said, but she did not look cross.

Then she told them that Cook wanted Pauline to come and help her ice some cakes, and that Mr Simpson said would Petrova come and help in the garage, and that he was waiting for her in the car, and Posy was to go and put her things on, as she was to help do some very special shopping.

Cook was in her nicest mood. She let Pauline do all the icing on the cakes, which were for late tea when they all got back from the matinee, and let hex squeeze names and pat terns on them. She enjoyed herself so much and was so busy that she forgot all about the afternoon, and was amazed when Nana said it was time to wash for their lunch, which was to be at half past twelve.

Petrova enjoyed her drive to the garage less than usual. Away from Pauline the feeling in her front came back. She had to hold it again, and told Mr Simpson about it. He understood at once; he said he often had just that feeling himself; he especially remembered it when he had to go and stop a native strike. He had not been quite sure how things would turn out, and his inside had felt most peculiar. He had found then, he said, whistling had been a help. Petrova explained that she could not whistle, so he said, How about singing then? He started with 'Three Blind Mice', and she joined in, and then he went on to 'Where are you Going To', followed by 'There's a Long, Long Trail' and 'Daisy, Daisy'. By that time they were in Piccadilly, and people stared at them, but he did not mind.

'If anybody asks us why we are singing,' he said, 'we'll say we are the S.F.S. league, The Stop, Front, Swellers.'

Inside the garage he had a surprise for her. She usually put the mackintosh on to keep herself clean; but today he gave her a parcel, and inside was a suit of jeans, just like garage men wear, only, of course, her size. He sent her behind the door to change, and when she came out she felt so pleased with herself looking so like a real mechanic that she forgot all about the matinee, and settled down at once to cleaning a car, and she was just as surprised as Pauline when she heard it was time to go home to lunch.

Posy and Nana went to a shop, and Nana fetched some little boxes. Posy wanted to know what was in them, but Nana would not say. Posy was not feeling at all worried about the afternoon; she knew she would enjoy it because it was dancing, and she did not care a bit if there was an audience or not.

Lunch would have been difficult to eat because they were all so excited; but there was cold chicken and jelly, both of which are easy to eat whatever you feel like.

Mr Simpson drove them to the theatre. Inside the stage door the doorkeeper stopped them and asked their names, and then with a smile he looked in a shelf which was alphabetically numbered, and out of a pigeon-hole marked F took a whole lot of telegrams. There were four each for Petrova and Pauline, and two for Posy. They each had one from the Simpsons, and one from the two doctors, and Pauline and Petrova's other two came from Madame, and from somebody signing herself 'Olga'. It said in Pauline's 'Good luck, Tyltyl', and in Petrova's 'Good luck, Mytyl'. For a moment n.o.body could remember who Olga was, and then they remembered she was the Russian child the hospital had nursed, who was now a nurse in the hospital. They were all very impressed at her sending telegrams.

Pauline and Petrova had a room to themselves, but Posy came and dressed there too, because it saved trouble. In the fun of getting dressed and Theo coming to make them up, they had not time even to think if they were frightened or not, until suddenly there was a knock on the door and the voice of the call-boy said: 'Quarter of an hour. Please.'

'Does that mean that we start in a quarter of an hour?' Pauline asked Theo in a wavering voice.

She nodded and laughed; but neither Pauline nor Petrova saw anything to laugh at. They sat down side by side feeling scared stiff. It seemed a very short time after that when the call-boy came again, this time to say, 'Overture and beginners. Please.'

Theo took them each by the hand, and they went down the stairs and through the swing doors on to the stage. There she kissed them, and then they went on to the stage, and got into bed, where Miss Jay tucked them in, and gave them a pat and told them not to be frightened. The orchestra seemed to go on playing the overture for a very long time, then suddenly the house lights went out, the curtain was going up.

For her first three sentences Pauline was not sure what her voice was doing. It seemed to squeak in an odd way. Her third sentence, 'No; how can I be asleep when I'm talking to you?' made the audience laugh. It was a nice friendly laugh, as though all the people in the audience were like Mr and Mrs Simpson, and from that moment she began to enjoy herself, and to have a sure feeling that the audience were enjoying themselves too.

Petrova's mouth felt dry; she could hear in her head just how each word ought to sound, and yet it did not come out quite right. She heard the laugh when Pauline said: 'How can I be asleep when I'm talking to you?' and she remembered clearly all she had been taught about laughs. Wait for it. Never speak while the audience are laughing. Speak as the laugh dies away. She had rehea.r.s.ed laughs with a gramophone; but now here was a real one, and she was not quite sure when to speak, and when she did, she knew it was too soon, and n.o.body had heard what she said. They came to the part where she and Tyltyl had to quarrel over the stool and she was pushed off and said: 'I'm looking at the wall because I've got no room,' and the audience laughed again. At once she felt better, her mouth got less dry, and she did not worry about what came next; and though still some of the lines did not sound much like Mytyl, but more like Petrova, she had stopped minding.

When the curtain came down on the act, everybody seemed pleased, and Pauline and Petrova went back to their dressing room and did not feel miserable any more, and instead played about giving imitations of each other, while Posy gave imitations of the dancers until Nana lost her temper.

'Will you sit down and behave like little ladies. What the other children must be thinking with all this noise, I don't know.'

Pauline giggled.

'But we aren't little ladies. Petrova and I are poor children of a woodcutter, and Posy's a star.'

'Whatever you are, you'll behave,' Nana said firmly, 'or I'll fetch Miss Jay. She said you was to rest.'

The mention of fetching Miss Jay calmed them down, and they sat quiet till they were called for the next act.

It was odd that the scene which Petrova most hated she acted better than any other that afternoon. It was the scene in the churchyard that had given her so much trouble. Somehow when she and Pauline were left alone on the stage, it all looked so dark and the gravestones so real that she almost made herself believe that ghosts would come when the diamond was turned; and therefore when it was turned, and there were nothing but lilies to be seen, she was honestly quite surprised, and said in the most natural way, 'Where are the dead?'...and was glad to hear Pauline reply, 'There are no dead'...

The play was over, all the cast stood on the stage and bowed, with Pauline and Petrova standing alone in the front. Then Madame came on. Pauline and Petrova wondered if they ought to curtsy, and looked round to make sure, but none of the others did, so they supposed it was all right not to. Madame spoke to the audience. She said they had just heard Tyltyl ask if any of them should find his blue bird to give it back as: 'We need it for our happiness later on.'

'Today you have helped a hospital, whose blue bird has flown away because of financial worry. With subscriptions and the tickets this afternoon we have a thousand pounds for them, which we hope will help to bring their blue bird back for their "happiness later on".'

A thousand pounds was such a lot of money that everybody cheered, and somebody from the hospital made a speech from a box, then 'G.o.d Save the King' was played, and the matinee was over.

When they got home there was a most magnificent tea waiting. Everybody in the house had been to the matinee, and they all had something to say about it. Cook, that it had given her a good cry, which was high praise, as she liked crying. Clara said it was better than the pictures, which was higher praise still. Doctor Jakes was very nice, and said they had worked very well and deserved their success. She was even nicer to Petrova than to Pauline.

'You did very well, my dear,' she said. 'It's easy for Pauline, but it's anything but easy for you.'

'Sorry it's over?' Mr Simpson asked them all.

Pauline said she was very, Posy was rather, and Petrova suddenly found she was glad; this afternoon had been fun, but it was nice to think there'd be no more of those awful rehearsals.

Tea was finished, and they were still talking about the afternoon when suddenly Pauline burst into tears. Pauline was not a person who ever cried, so everybody was surprised, except Doctor Jakes, who said it was quite a natural thing to do. Sylvia hugged her.

'What is it, darling?'

'Everything's over,' Pauline sniffed, 'and nothing nice will ever happen again.'

'That's talking stupidly, Pauline,' said Nana. 'Just take a look at your plate.'

While Pauline had been crying, Nana had put the little boxes she and Posy had fetched that morning on their plates. There was great excitement and when they were opened there was a brooch in each from Sylvia with a little enamel blue bird on it. On the back of each bird were their names and the date. After they had thanked for them, and pinned them on to their frocks, Sylvia told them she had news for them. They had all worked so hard that she had rented a tiny cottage at Pevensey Bay in Suss.e.x, and they were going there for August.

After that, of course, Pauline could not feel that nothing nice would ever happen again. Petrova thought a cottage in Suss.e.x nicer than any matinee. It was Posy, though, who sent them all to bed laughing. She slipped down again after her bath, and poked her head round the door, and looked solemnly at Pauline, whose face was still a bit blotchy from having cried, and quoted a line from 'The Blue Bird': 'And Pauline has still got a pimple on her nose.'

CHAPTER IX.