72 THE ADMIRAL'S TEA-PARTY 



his being shown how to salute. The Admiral, 

 fastidious to a degree about the fit of his own 

 sword-belt and the poise of his hat, at length places 

 himself in front of the sailors and stands rigidly to 

 attention. 



" Now, my guests, don't delay so long. We all 

 want tea, and you must hurry to get ready," he 

 shouts as if he were commanding a storming-party. 



One by one, then, they appear, all the people we 

 have read of in coloured story-books or met when 

 we were children at the circus or the pantomime. 

 I forget the order in which they came, but I found 

 I knew them all. There was no announcing, be- 

 cause we knew " Folly " by the way she skipped 

 in, rattle in hand, her frock all hung with coloured 

 ribbons and at the end of each a little bell. Be- 

 sides, she had that curious curved head-dress and 

 on it again more bells. Then came the " Clown," 

 and no doubt, had he not been afraid of being too 

 familiar with the Admiral, who of course was 

 standing in such a well-drilled fashion saluting all 

 the guests, the Clown would have turned a somer- 

 sault as he entered. Young Jack Horner was very 

 quiet. He just walked across the room in his 

 green suit and went and sat in the ingle-nook to 

 finish his pie. Little Dorothy, who was on the 

 sofa beside me, thought this was rather a greedy 

 thing to do considering no one else had had tea. I 

 think she and the youngest student, " Boy," liked 

 the Golliwog best, for when he arrived, I felt a 

 distinct quiver of excitement on the sofa. The 

 Golliwog's hair was so very wonderful. It looked 

 just exactly like a black hearth-mat, and then his 



