The excitement did not begin to calm until the _tableaux vivants_ were
ready. For, notwithstanding the worldliness of the day, it was thought
that Heaven should not be forgotten. The convent being that of the Holy
Child, something illustrative of the birth of Christ naturally suggested
itself. No more touching or edifying subject than that of the
Annunciation could be found. Violet's thin, elegant face seemed
representative of an intelligent virginity, and in a long, white dress
she knelt at the _prie-dieu._ Olive, with a pair of wings obtained from
the local theatre, and her hair, blonde as an August harvesting, lying
along her back, took the part of the Angel. She wore a star on her
forehead, and after an interval that allowed the company to recover
their composure, and the carpenter to prepare the stage, the curtain was
again raised. This time the scene was a stable. At the back, in the
right-hand corner, there was a manger to which was attached a stuffed
donkey; Violet sat on a low stool and held the new-born Divinity in her
arms; May, who for the part of Joseph had been permitted to wear a false
beard, held a staff, and tried to assume the facial expression of a man
who had just been blessed with a son. In the foreground knelt the three
wise men from the East; with outstretched hands they held forth their
offerings of frankincense and myrrh. The picture of the world's
Redemption was depicted with such taste that a murmur of pious
admiration sighed throughout the hall.

Soon after a distribution of prizes began, and when the different awards
had been distributed, and the Bishop had made a speech, there was
benediction in the convent-church.