She was glad that Phil's smile had seemed to say that he took it for granted that she would have been inflexible to the extent of making mud pies on Lancelot's shield.

Unconsciously her reconstruction began then and there, for although the seeds sown by the laughing discussion at the picnic table lay dormant in her memory many years, they blossomed into a saving common sense at last, that enabled her to see the humorous side of the most sentimental situation, and gave her wisdom to meet it as it deserved.
The outdoor tableaux that night proved to be one of the most successful entertainments ever given in the Valley.

A heavy wire, stretched from one beech-tree to another, held the curtains that hid the impromptu stage.

The vine-covered tea-house and a dense clump of shrubbery formed the background.

Rows of Japanese lanterns strung from the gate to the house, and from pillar to pillar of the wide porches, gave a festive appearance to the place, but they were not really needed.