The English custom of playing at charades or tableaux, was much in vogue
in the Gurney household, and on rainy days the children were sure to be
found in the attic, where a mimic stage had been erected, and drop curtains
of a peculiar style and pattern added to the attractions of the place. The
young neighbors next door were soon initiated into the mysteries of the
"green room," and their added numbers made the audience seem immense, since
it took every available box and board to construct "opera chairs" for the
crowd; but every chair was sure to be filled when the new "star," Signora
Dexina, was announced to appear before the footlights, and if these latter
were but candles left from the last Christmas tree, what mattered it?
One day while up in the attic rehearsing a new piece, the idea occurred to
them that a private entrance into each other's apartments, by way of the
attic, would be a great convenience, so they eagerly searched the partition
for a loose board. Finding one that was quite broad, they put forth every
exertion, and after much shoving and prying, during which their fingers
received many splinters and bruises, they succeeded in getting the board
loose from the floor.
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