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 Preface vii

Supplemental Instructional Features

Supplemental to this text are pedagogical tools helpful to counselor educators choosing to use
this text as a course text. The companion Instructor’s Manual contains at least 45 multiple-
choice questions and 15 essay questions per chapter. PowerPoint® slides are available to help
instructors prepare presentations focusing on chapter content. Numerous case studies and
activities included in the text can stimulate lively classroom discussions.

Acknowledgments
All the contributing authors are to be commended for lending their expertise in the various
topical areas. As always, Kevin Davis of Pearson has been wonderfully responsive and
supportive. Finally, special thanks go to the reviewers, whose comments helped provide
substantive improvement to the original manuscript: David Angeloni, University of Scranton;
Britney G. Brinkman, Chatham University; Michael P. Chaney, Oakland University; Cirleen
DeBlaere, Georgia State University; and Maria del Carmen Rodriguez, Kean University.
 Brief Contents

SECTION One The Foundations of Multicultural Counseling   1

Chapter 1 The Culturally Competent Counselor
■ Danica G. Hays and Amy L. McLeod   2

Chapter 2 Cultural Identity Development

■ Cheryl Moore-Thomas   37

SECTION Two Social Advocacy  65

Chapter 3 Social Justice Counseling
■ Philip B. Gnilka, Caroline O’Hara, and
Catherine Y. Chang   66
Chapter 4 Racism and White Privilege
■ Danica G. Hays and Ann Shillingford-Butler   92

Chapter 5 Gender and Sexism

■ Anneliese A. Singh and Taryne M. Mingo   127

Chapter 6 Sexual Orientation and Heterosexism

■ Michael P. Chaney and Michael D. Brubaker   154

Chapter 7 Social Class and Classism

■ Kathryn S. Newton and Bradley T. Erford   188

Chapter 8 Disability, Ableism, and Ageism

■ Debra E. Berens and Bradley T. Erford   224

SECTION Three Counseling Multicultural Populations  255

Chapter 9 Individuals and Families of African Descent
■ Patrice S. Bounds, Ahmad R. Washington, and Malik S.
Henfield  256
Chapter 10 Individuals and Families of Arab Descent
■ Sylvia C. Nassar-McMillan, Aisha Al-Qimlass, and Laura
McLaughlin Gonzalez  286
Chapter 11 Individuals and Families of Asian Descent
■ Linh P. Luu, Arpana G. Inman, and Alvin N. Alvarez   320

Chapter 12 Individuals and Families of Latin-American and Latin Descent

■ José A. Villalba   363

Chapter 13 Counseling Individuals and Families of Native American Descent

■ Michael Tlanusta Garrett, J. T. Garrett, Tarrell Awe Agahe
Portman, Lisa Grayshield, Edil Torres Rivera, Cyrus
Williams, and Mark Parrish   394

viii
 Brief Contents ix

Chapter 14 Individuals and Families of European Descent

■ H. George McMahon, Pamela O. Paisley, and Bogusia
Skudrzyk  431
Chapter 15 Individuals and Families of Multiracial Descent
■ Kelley R. Kenney and Mark E. Kenney   471

Chapter 16 Spiritual Diversity

■ Craig S. Cashwell and Amanda L. Giordano   503

SECTION FOUR Multicultural Conceptualization  533

Chapter 17 Using Counseling Theories in Multicultural Contexts
■ Jonathan J. Orr   534

Chapter 18 Multicultural Diagnosis and Conceptualization

■ Victoria E. Kress, Andrea L. Dixon, and Laura R.
Shannonhouse  558

Appendix Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies   591

References  601
Index  648
 Contents

About the Editors   xxiii

About the Contributing Authors   xxiv

SECTION One The Foundations of Multicultural Counseling   1

Chapter 1 The Culturally Competent Counselor
■ Danica G. Hays and Amy L. McLeod   2

Preview  2
The Culturally Competent Counselor   2
U.S. Demographics  3
Key Terminology of Multicultural Counseling   5
Use of Counseling Services and Multicultural Populations   10
Counseling versus Cultural Norms of Diverse Populations   11
Stigma and Mistrust   11
Discrimination Experiences  12
Inaccessibility of Services   12
The Role of Communication in Multicultural Counseling   15
Verbal Communication  16
Nonverbal Communication  17
Emotional Expression  18
Communication Patterns of Clients and Counselors   18
Context and Multicultural Counseling   19
Prejudice and Discrimination   19
Immigration  21
Acculturation  23
Interpersonal Violence and Trauma   24
Developing Multicultural Counseling Competence   24
A Systems Approach to Multicultural Counseling Competence   29
Resistance to Multiculturalism   30
Ethical Considerations in Multicultural Counseling   31
Summary  35
Review Questions  36
Chapter 2 Cultural Identity Development
■ Cheryl Moore-Thomas   37

Preview  37
Racial and Ethnic Identity Development   39
Racial Identity Models   39
x
 Contents xi

Phinney’s Model of Ethnic Identity   44

Biracial and Multiracial Identity Development   45
Addressing Racial and Ethnic Identity in Counseling   48
Gender and Sexual Identity Development   49
Gender Identity Models   49
Sexual Identity Models   51
Transsexual and Transgender Identity Development   55
Spiritual and Faith Identity Development   59
Fowler’s Model of Faith Development   60
Spero’s Development of Religious Transformations   60
Genia’s Development of Growth   61
Parks’s Model of Spiritual Identity   61
Poll and Smith’s Model of Spiritual Identity   62
Addressing Spiritual Identity in Counseling   63
Summary  63
Review Questions  64

SECTION TWO Social Advocacy  65

Chapter 3 Social Justice Counseling
■ Philip B. Gnilka, Caroline O’Hara, and Catherine Y. Chang   66

Preview  66
Key Constructs for Understanding Social Advocacy   66
Historical Context  73
Social Injustice and Mental Health Issues   74
Counselors as Social Advocates   75
Advocacy in Professional Counseling Standards   76
Three-Tiered Model of Social Advocacy   79
Challenges and Benefits of Social Justice Counseling   86
Summary  90
Review Questions  91

Chapter 4 Racism and White Privilege

■ Danica G. Hays and Ann Shillingford-Butler   92

Preview  92
Historical Foundations of Race and Racism   92
Social Construction of Race   95
Defining Racism  96
Costs of Racism for People of Color   101
Cognitive Costs  102
Affective Costs  103
Interpersonal Costs  104
xii Contents

Physical Costs  104
Efforts to Combat the Costs of Racism   105
White Privilege  105
Costs of Racism for Whites   109
Cognitive Costs  109
Affective Costs  109
Interpersonal Costs  110
Whites’ Psychological Responses to Racism and White Privilege   110
Whiteness and Being American   111
Color-Blind Racial Attitudes   112
Myth of Meritocracy   113
Focus on Exceptions   113
Psychological Dispositions of White Racism   114
Eradicating Racism  115
Counselor Self-Awareness  115
Client Services  118
Community Collaboration  121
Addressing Racism within Other Systems   122
Political and Legal Concerns   122
Economic Concerns  123
Public Health Concerns   123
Taking Action  124
Summary  126
Review Questions  126
Chapter 5 Gender and Sexism
■ Anneliese A. Singh and Taryne M. Mingo   127

Preview  127
Understanding Gender and Related Constructs   127
Understanding Sexism  128
Gender and Counseling Considerations   130
Counseling Girls and Women   133
Counseling Men  134
Counseling People Who Are TGNC   138
Historical Context of Sexism   141
World War II and Women’s Return “Home”   142
Historical Resistance to Sexism: The Feminist Movement   142
Cultural Intersections of Gender   144
African Americans  144
Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders   145
 Contents xiii

Latino(a)/Chicano(a) Americans  145
Arab Americans  146
Mental Health Consequences of Sexism   146
Women and Depression   146
Disordered Eating  147
Internalized Oppression  147
Physical Consequences of Sexism   148
Social Consequences of Sexism   149
Addressing Sexism in Counseling   150
Expanding Resilience and Social Justice   151
Summary  152
Review Questions  153
Chapter 6 Sexual Orientation and Heterosexism
■ Michael P. Chaney and Michael D. Brubaker   154

Preview  154
Defining Sexual Orientation and Heterosexism   154
Heterosexism  156
Historical Context of Heterosexism   157
Resistance to Heterosexism: The Stonewall Rebellion   157
Intersections of Heterosexism and Classism   158
Current Attitudes toward Individuals Who Are LGBTQI   159
Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Demography   159
LGBTQI Relationship Status and Family Issues   159
Educational Status  160
LGB Youths  161
Age and Disclosure of Sexual Orientation   162
Cultural Intersections of Sexual Orientation   164
African Americans  165
Asian Americans  166
Latin Americans  166
Native Americans  166
Middle Eastern, Arab, and Muslim Americans   167
Spirituality among Individuals Who Are LGBTQ and Ethical Counseling
Approaches  167
Religious Abuse and the Response of Individuals Who Are LGBTQ   168
Addressing Values Conflicts   168
Mental Health Consequences of Heterosexism   169
Suicidality and Depression   170
Stress and Self-Esteem   172
xiv Contents

LGBTQI Youths  172
Physical Consequences of Heterosexism   173
Substance Abuse  173
HIV/AIDS  174
Social Consequences of Heterosexism   174
Socioeconomic Status  175
Institutional Heterosexism  175
Diminished Interpersonal Relationships   177
Socially Just, Nonheterosexist Training and Clinical Practice   178
Counseling Strategies for Addressing Heterosexism   179
ALGBTIC Competencies  181
Counselor Training  181
Clinical Practice  183
Counselors’ Role in Creating a Socially Just, Nonheterosexist Society   185
Summary  186
Review Questions  187
Chapter 7 Social Class and Classism
■ Kathryn S. Newton and Bradley T. Erford   188

Preview  188
Considering Social Class and Classism   188
What Is Socioeconomic Status?   191
What Is Classism?   195
The Evolution of Social Class and Classism in the United States   197
Classism, Racism, and Ethnocentrism   201
Poverty and Mental Health   203
Who Is Poor?   204
Risk Factors and Mental Health Consequences   204
Poverty: Perceptions and Identity   210
Addressing Classism in Counseling   212
Awareness  212
Knowledge  214
Skills  215
Advocacy  218
Summary  222
Review Questions  223
Chapter 8 Disability, Ableism, and Ageism
■ Debra E. Berens and Bradley T. Erford   224

Preview  224
Disability Defined  224
 Contents xv

Types of Disability   226

Disability Statistics  227
Models of Disability   228
Variations on the Social Model of Disability   229
Counseling Individuals with a Disability   230
Ableism  233
Disability, Ableism, and the Counseling Process   234
Awareness  234
Knowledge  234
Skills  240
Disability-Affirmative Counseling and Cultural Intersections   241
Age Demographics  243
Ageism  245
Ageism and Older Americans   246
Age, Ageism, and the Counseling Process   248
Awareness  249
Knowledge  249
Skills  250
Summary  253
Review Questions  254

SECTION THREE Counseling Multicultural Populations   255

Chapter 9 Individuals and Families of African Descent
■ Patrice S. Bounds, Ahmad R. Washington, and Malik S.
Henfield  256
Preview  256
Individuals and Families of African Descent   256
Terminology  257
Demographics  258
African-American History  259
Discrimination Experiences  260
Black Racial Identity   263
Acculturation  264
African-American Culture and Values   265
Families of African Descent   266
Couples of African Descent   269
Interracial Couples  270
Children of African Descent   270
Black Middle-Class People and Mental Health   272
xvi Contents

Gender  272
Black Elderly Individuals   273
Black Gays and Lesbians   273
General Mental Health Issues of Individuals of African Descent   273
Common Support Systems for Individuals of African Descent   275
An Afrocentric Psychological Perspective   275
NTU Psychotherapy  276
Pros and Cons of Traditional (Eurocentric) Counseling Approaches with
Clients of African Descent   276
Client-Centered Counseling  277
Psychodynamic Counseling  277
Adlerian Counseling  278
Guidelines for Work with Clients of African Descent   278
Summary  285
Review Questions  285
Chapter 10 Individuals and Families of Arab Descent
■ Sylvia C. Nassar-McMillan, Aisha Al-Qimlass, and Laura
McLaughlin Gonzalez  286
Preview  286
Arab-American Heterogeneity  286
Contemporary Social Perceptions and Discrimination Experiences   289
Arab-American Culture and Values   291
Collectivism  291
Religion and Faith   293
Education, Work, and Economic Status   295
Communication Styles  295
Individual Differences and Identities   296
Acculturation  297
Ethnicity  298
Gender Identity  301
Risks and Resiliencies: Mental Health Issues among Arab Americans   305
Oppression and Discrimination   305
Acculturative Stress  306
Ethnic and Gender Identity Development   306
Other Psychosocial Issues   307
Considerations in Counseling Arab Americans   309
Approach  309
Family and Community Involvement   310
Stigmas and Help-Seeking Behaviors   312
 Contents xvii

Case Studies Revisited   312

Counseling Considerations Endnote   315
Summary  318
Review Questions  319
Chapter 11 Individuals and Families of Asian Descent
■ Linh P. Luu, Arpana G. Inman, and Alvin N. Alvarez   320

Preview  320
Asian-American History  321
Contemporary Forms of Discrimination and Stereotypes   322
Asian-American Heterogeneity  327
Asian-American Culture and Values   329
Family  330
Gender Roles  331
Interpersonal Relationships  331
Intimacy and Marriage   331
Education  332
Religion  332
Death and Dying   333
Individual Differences and Identities   333
Immigration, Enculturation, and Acculturation   333
Ethnicity and Race   334
Gender Roles  336
Sexuality and Sexual Identity   336
General Mental Health Issues of Individuals of Asian Descent   338
Psychopathology  340
Help Seeking and Coping   344
Guidelines for Counseling Clients of Asian Descent   348
Counselor Self-Assessment  348
Counseling Process  349
Conceptualization of the Problem   350
Intervention  351
Outreach and Nonclinical Visibility   353
Social Advocacy and Social Justice   354
Summary  361
Review Questions  362
Chapter 12 Individuals and Families of Latin-American and Latin Descent
■ José A. Villalba   363

Preview  363
A Latin American History Primer   363
xviii Contents

Latin American and Latino Heterogeneity   364

Mexicans  365
Puerto Ricans  366
Cubans  367
Caribbean Hispanics/Latinas/os, and Central and South Americans   368
Latin-American and Latino Culture and Values   369
“Somos Inmigrantes” (“We Are Immigrants”)   370
Language  370
Religion and Spirituality   371
Resiliency  372
Gender Roles  372
Families of Latin-American and Latino Descent   373
Interpersonal Relationships  374
Individual Differences and Identities   374
Immigration Status  374
Generational Status  375
Socioeconomic Status  376
Mental Health Issues of Individuals of Latin-American and Latino
Descent  377
Acculturative Stress  378
Grief and Loss   379
Experiences with Discrimination   379
Additional Concerns  380
Guidelines for Counseling Clients of Latin-American and Latino
Descent  380
Counseling Considerations for Children of Latin-American and Latino
Descent  381
Counseling Considerations for Adolescents of Latin-American and Latino
Descent  383
Counseling Considerations for Adults of Latin-American and Latino
Descent  386
Summary  393
Review Questions  393
Chapter 13 Counseling Individuals and Families of Native American Descent
■ Michael Tlanusta Garrett, J. T. Garrett, Tarrell Awe Agahe
Portman, Lisa Grayshield, Edil Torres Rivera, Cyrus Williams,
and Mark Parrish   394
Preview  394
Understanding Native Americans: Reflections Down by the Riverside   394
Native Americans Today   396
Group Membership  397
 Contents xix

Native American History   400

Current Social, Economic, and Political Issues   402
Native American Sociocultural Characteristics
in the United States Today   402
Self-Determination and Sovereignty   403
Federal and State Recognition   404
Cultural Preservation  405
Achievement Gap  406
Gaming  408
Tribal Resources  409
Sacred Sites, Repatriation, and Reburial   409
Mascot Issues  410
Native American Culture and Values   411
Harmony and Balance   411
Cultural Identity and the Tribal Nation   414
Family  415
Wisdom Keepers  415
Humility  416
Generosity  416
Patience  416
Time  416
Communication Style  416
Being  417
Lessons of the Eagle Feather   418
Guidelines for Counseling Native American Clients   419
Identity, Family, and Acculturation   419
Healing from Historical Trauma and the Impact of Oppression   420
Drawing on Traditions   421
Integrating Spirituality  421
Values: Using the Rule of Opposites and Seeking Balance   422
Communication  422
Humor  423
Practical Tribally Specific Interventions   424
Working from a Social Justice and Advocacy Counseling Perspective   425
Summary  429
Review Questions  430
Chapter 14 Individuals and Families of European Descent
■ H. George McMahon, Pamela O. Paisley, and Bogusia
Skudrzyk  431
xx Contents

Preview  431
European American History   431
The Early Colonial Period   432
European Immigration  434
Terminology  436
Development of a White American Ethnic Identity   437
The Melting Pot   438
The American Dream   439
The Creation of an American Heritage   440
Privilege, Oppression, and Ethnocentric Monoculturalism   441
Who Gets to Be White?   443
The Process of Becoming White   444
European American Heterogeneity   447
Recent European American Immigrants   450
Immigrants, Undocumented Immigrants, and Refugees   450
Immigration Stressors  452
Acculturation and Identity Deconstruction   452
Oppression and Discrimination   454
Counseling Considerations for European-Descent Individuals   454
Mental Health Issues of White American Ethnic Clients   455
Counseling White American Ethnic Clients   457
Mental Health Issues of European Immigrants, Refugees, and International
Students  462
Counseling European Immigrants, Refugees, and International
Students  465
Summary  469
Review Questions  470
Chapter 15 Individuals and Families of Multiracial Descent
■ Kelley R. Kenney and Mark E. Kenney   471

Preview  471
Terminology  471
Historical Perspectives  474
Interracial Marriages Today   476
Multiracial Identity Development   477
Contemporary Social Perceptions, Salient Experiences, and Resilience   480
Individuals  481
Couples  484
Families  486
Considerations for Counseling Multiracial Individuals and Families   488
 Contents xxi

Counselor Self-Awareness  488
Client Worldview  489
Counseling Relationship  491
Counseling and Advocacy Interventions   491
Summary  501
Review Questions  502
Chapter 16 Spiritual Diversity
■ Craig S. Cashwell and Amanda L. Giordano   503

Preview  503
Religion and Spirituality in America   503
Spirituality and Religion Defined   504
Toward Defining Spirituality   504
Toward Defining Religion   506
Relationships between Religion and Spirituality   506
Overview of Major World Religions   509
Eastern World Religions   509
Western World Religions   515
All is One: Aspects Common to All Religions   519
Tenet 1: Spirit, by Whatever Name, Exists   519
Tenet 2: Spirit Is Found “in Here,” within an Open Heart and Mind   519
Tenet 3: Many/Most Don’t Realize Spirit Within   520
Tenet 4: There Is a Path to Liberation   520
Tenet 5: If This Path Is Followed, the Result Is Rebirth or
Enlightenment  521
Tenet 6: Rebirth or Enlightenment Results in the End of Suffering   521
Tenet 7: The End of Suffering Manifests in Social Actions of Mercy and
Compassion  522
Special Considerations for Counseling   522
Approaching Client Spiritual Issues   522
Ethical Competence  525
Spiritual Bypass  527
Aservic Competencies  529
Summary  530
Review Questions  532

SECTION FOUR Multicultural Conceptualization  533

Chapter 17 Using Counseling Theories in Multicultural Contexts
■ Jonathan J. Orr   534

Preview  534
Social and Cultural Foundations of Counseling Theory   534
xxii Contents

Worldview Shaping Counseling   535

Transition from Worldview to Theory   537
Alternative Sources of Theory in Multicultural Counseling   539
Applications of Counseling Theory Across Cultures   542
Traditional Theoretical Approaches to Counseling   542
Culturally Responsive Use of Traditional Theories   545
Culturally Responsive Counseling Theories   547
Summary  556
Review Questions  557
Chapter 18 Multicultural Diagnosis and Conceptualization
■ Victoria E. Kress, Andrea L. Dixon, and Laura R. Shannonhouse   558

Preview  558
The Challenge of Ethical Practice   558
Cultural Validity in Assessment   560
Normal versus Abnormal   562
Overdiagnosis, Underdiagnosis, and Misdiagnosis   564
Sampling Bias  565
Culture and Psychopathology   566
Feminist Challenges  569
Prevalence Data of Diagnoses by Gender   570
Developmental Shifts in Prevalence Rates   571
Sex Bias in Diagnosis   573
Socialization and Mental Health   575
Social Conditions  576
Women’s Trauma Experiences   577
Toward Solutions  579
Comprehensive Assessment  580
Universal and Culturally Specific Diagnoses   581
Other Culturally Astute Strategies   582
Feminist Analysis  586
Function of Symptoms in Context   586
Summary  588
Review Questions  590

Appendix Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies   591

References  601
Index  648
 About the Editors

Danica G. Hays, PhD, LPC, is a professor and Executive Associate Dean of the College of
Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She earned a doctorate in Counselor
Education and Supervision, with an emphasis in multicultural research, from Georgia State
University. Her research interests include qualitative methodology, assessment and diagnosis,
trauma and gender issues, and multicultural and social justice concerns in counselor prepara-
tion and community health. She has published approximately 100 refereed journal articles and
book chapters in these areas. In addition to this text, she is co-editor of Qualitative Inquiry
in Clinical and Educational Settings (1/e, Guilford Press) and A Counselor’s Guide to Career
Assessment Instruments (6/e, National Career Development Association). She is also an associ-
ate and content editor of the American Counseling Association Encyclopedia of Counseling (1/e,
ACA), co-author of Mastering the NCE and CPCE (2/e, Pearson), and author of Assessment
in Counseling: A Guide to Psychological Assessment Procedures (6/e, ACA). She has exten-
sive leadership history in the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling and the
Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. The American Counseling Association
has recognized her nationally for her research and advocacy as a counselor educator.
Bradley T. Erford, PhD, is a professor in the school counseling program in the Education
Specialties Department at Loyola University Maryland. He was president of the American
Counseling Association during 2012–2013. He is an American Counseling Association (ACA)
Fellow and the recipient of several ACA awards, including the Research Award, Extended
Research Award, Thomas J. Sweeney Award for Visionary Leadership and Advocacy, Arthur
A. Hitchcock Distinguished Professional Service Award, Professional Development Award,
and the Carl Perkins Government Relations Award. He has received the Association for
Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) Exemplary Practices Award; Association
for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Robert O. Stripling Award for Excellence
in Standards; and the Maryland Association for Counseling and Development (MACD)
Maryland Counselor of the Year, Professional Development, Counselor Visibility, and
Counselor Advocacy Awards. His research specialization falls primarily in development and
technical analysis of psychoeducational tests and has resulted in the publication of more than
30 books, 70 journal articles, 100 book chapters, and a dozen psychoeducational tests. He
is a past chair of the ACA, Southern Region; past president of the AARC, the MACD, the
Maryland Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (MACES), the Maryland
Association for Mental Health Counselors (MAMHC), and the Maryland Association
for Measurement and Evaluation (MAME). Dr. Erford is the past chair of the ACA Task
Force on High Stakes Testing, Task Force on Standards for Test Users, Public Awareness
and Support Committee, Bylaws Committee, and Interprofessional Committee. Dr. Erford
is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally
Certified Counselor, Licensed Psychologist, and Licensed School Psychologist. He teaches
courses primarily in the areas of assessment, human development, research and evaluation,
school counseling, and stress management.

xxiii
 About the Contributing Authors

Aisha Al-Qimlass, MS, is a doctoral candidate at the counseling and counselor education pro-
gram in the Leadership, Policy, and Human Development Department at North Carolina
State University. Her research interests include the globalization of counseling, Islamic femi-
nism, and chemical dependency. Her dissertation focused on career development factors of
Kuwaiti women. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and provisionally licensed as
both a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist. She has
more than eight years of counseling experience with adults, adolescents, and families in a vari-
ety of settings focusing on issues of substance abuse and co-occurring disorders.
Alvin N. Alvarez, PhD, is Dean of the College of Health and Social Sciences and
­professor of Counseling at San Francisco State University, where he trains master’s-level stu-
dents to be college counselors and student affairs practitioners. He completed his counseling
psychology degree from the University of Maryland at College Park and his undergraduate
work at the University of California at Irvine. He is a former president of the Asian American
Psychological Association. His professional interests focus on Asian Americans, racial iden-
tity, and the psychological impact of racism.
Debra E. Berens, PhD, is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Case Manager,
and Certified Life Care Planner in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. She also is a counselor
educator in the graduate Rehabilitation Counseling program at Georgia State University.
Since entering the counseling field in 1989, Dr. Berens has contributed over 35 publications to
the professional literature and over 40 presentations in the areas of rehabilitation counseling,
rehabilitation ethics, catastrophic case management, and life care planning. She recently com-
pleted a 10-year term as editor of the Journal of Life Care Planning.
Patrice S. Bounds is an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership and
Counseling at Eastern Michigan University. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC)
and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Illinois. Her research ­focuses
on multicultural issues in counseling, academic achievement and self-concept of ethnic
­minorities grades K–12, and career decision making. To date, she has presented at over
20 national, ­regional, state, and local professional conferences and has published two book chap-
ters in counseling textbooks and several manuscripts in progress for publication in scholarly
­professional journals.
Michael D. Brubaker, PhD, is an associate professor and program coordinator of the
counseling program in the School of Human Services at the University of Cincinnati. His
research, clinical, and advocacy interests center on addressing the barriers to treatment and
prevention services among underserved and socially marginalized populations, namely the
homeless, individuals identifying as LGBTQQI, and ethnic minorities. His publications have
focused on counseling practices with LGBT and homeless populations and stigmatizing
­attitudes that may impact mental health care. He is a former trustee of the Association for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling as well as a former chair and
founding member of Chi Sigma Iota’s (CSI) Counselor Community Engagement Committee.
Craig S. Cashwell, PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS, CSAT-S is a professor in the Department of
Counseling and Educational Development at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
and an American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellow. He has over 125 publications and
has received multiple research, teaching, and service awards. Dr. Cashwell is a past-chair of the
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 "Oh, don't mind us."

"Thank you. It's really for your benefit, so you'd better listen. Let me
see, where were we? Oh yes, 'One pound of beef, ninepence; three pounds
of potatoes, fourpence; one piece of emery paper for the blanc-mange,
tuppence; one pound of india-rubber——'"

"'Dahlia darling,'" interrupted Myra, in a fair imitation of Archie's

voice, "'how often have I told you that we can't afford india-rubber in the
cake? Just a few raisins and a cherry is really all you want. You mustn't be
so extravagant.'"

"'Dearest, I do try; and after all, love, it wasn't I who fell into the cocoa
last night.'"

"'I didn't fall in, I simply dropped my pipe in, and it was you insisted on
pouring it away afterwards. And then, look at this—One yard, of lace, 4s.
6d. That's for the cutlets, I suppose. For people in our circumstances paper
frillings are quite sufficient.'"

Archie and Dahlia listened to us with open mouths. Then they looked at
each other, and then at us again.

"Is there any more?" asked Archie.

"There's lots more, but we've forgotten it."

"You aren't ill or anything?"

"We are both perfectly well."

"How's Miss Dalton?"

"Dora," I said, "is also well. So is Miss Fortescue and so is Thomas. We

are all well."

"I thought, perhaps——"

"No, there you are wrong."

 "I expect it's just the heat and the excitement," said Dahlia, with a smile.
"It takes some people like that."

"I'm afraid you miss our little parable," said Myra.

"We do. Come on, Dahlia."

"You'll pardon me, Archibald, but Miss Blair is dancing this with me."

Archie objected strongly, but I left, him with Myra, and took Miss Blair
away. We sat on the stairs and thought.

"It has been a lovely week," said Dahlia.

"It has," I agreed.

"Perhaps more lovely for me than for you."

"That's just where I don't agree with you. You know, we think it's
greatly over-rated. Falling in love, I mean."

"Who's 'we'?"

"Myra and I. We've been talking it over. That's why we rather dwelt
upon the sordid side of it just now. I suppose we didn't move you at all?"

"No," said Dahlia, "we're settled."

"That's exactly it," I said. "I should hate to be settled. It's so much more
fun like this. Myra quite agrees with me."

Dahlia smiled to herself. "But perhaps some day," she began.

"I don't know. I never look more than a week ahead. 'It has been great
fun this week, and it will probably be great fun next week.' That's my
motto."

"Well, ye—es," said Miss Blair doubtfully.

 PART II

CHAPTER I

ONE OF THE PLAYERS

"Do I know everybody?" I asked Myra towards the end of the dinner,
looking round the table.

"I think so," said Myra. "If there's anybody you don't see in the window
ask for him."

"I can see most of them. Who's that tall handsome fellow grinning at me
now?"

"Me," said Archie, smiling across at us.

"Go away," said Myra. "Gentlemen shouldn't eavesdrop. This is a

perfectly private conversation."

"You've got a lady on each side of you," I said heatedly, "why don't you
talk to them? It's simply scandalous that Myra and I can't get a moment to
ourselves."

"They're both busy; they won't have anything to say to me."

"Then pull a cracker with yourself. Surely you can think of something,
my lad."

"He has a very jealous disposition," said Myra, "and whenever Dahlia
—— Bother, he's not listening."
 I looked round the table again to see if I could spy a stranger.

"There's a man over there—who's he? Where this orange is pointing."

"Oranges don't point. Waggle your knife round. Oh, him? Yes, he's a
friend of Archie's—Mr Derry."

"Who is he? Does he do anything exciting?"

"He does, rather. You know those little riddles in the Christmas
crackers?"

"Yes?"

"Yes. Well, he couldn't very well do those, because he's an electrical

engineer."

"But why——"

"No, I didn't. I simply asked you if you knew them. And he plays the
piano beautifully, and he's rather a good actor, and he never gets up till
about ten. Because his room is next to mine, and you can hear everything,
and I can hear him not getting up."

"That doesn't sound much like an electrical engineer. You ask him
suddenly what amperes are a penny, and see if he turns pale. I expect he
makes up the riddles, after all. Simpson only does the mottoes, I know. Now
talk to Thomas for a bit while I drink my orange."

Five minutes elapsed, or transpired (whichever it is), before I was ready

to talk again. Generally, after an orange, I want to have a bath and go
straight off to bed, but this particular one had not been so all-overish as
usual.

"Now then," I said, as I examined the crystallised fruit, "I'm with you in
one minute."

Myra turned round and looked absently at me.

 "I don't know how to begin," she said to herself.

"The beginning's easy enough," I explained, as I took a dish of green

sweets under my charge, "it's the knowing when to stop."

"Can you eat those and listen to something serious?"

"I'll try.... Yes, I can eat them all right. Now, let's see if I can listen....
Yes, I can listen all right."

"Then it's this. I've been putting it off as long as I can, but you've got to
be told to-night. It's—well—do you know why you're here?"

"Of course, I do. Haven't I just been showing you?"

"Well, why are you here?"

"Well, frankly, because I'm hungry, I suppose. Of course, I know that if

I hadn't been I should have come in to dinner, just the same, but—— Hang
it, I mean that's the root idea of a dining-room, isn't it? And I am hungry. At
least I was."

"Stave it off again with an almond," said Myra, pushing them along to
me. "What I really meant was why you're here in the house."

This was much more difficult. I began to consider possible reasons.

"Because you all love me," I started; "because you put the wrong
address on the envelope; because the regular boot-boy's ill; because you've
never heard me sing in church; because—stop me when I'm getting warm—
because Miss Fortescue refused to come unless I was invited; because——"

"Stop," said Myra. "That was it. And, of course, you know I didn't mean
that at all."

"What an awful lot of things you don't mean to-night. Be brave, and
have it right out this time."
 "All right, then, I will. One, two, three—we're going to act a play on
Saturday."

She leant forward, and regarded me with apprehension.

"But why not? I'll promise to clap."

"You can't, because, you see, you're going to act too. Isn't it jolly?" said
Myra breathlessly.

I gave what, if I hadn't just begun the last sweet, would have been a
scornful laugh.

"Me act? Why, I've never—I don't do it—it isn't done—I don't act—not
on Saturdays. How absurd!"

"Have you told him, Myra?" Dahlia called out suddenly.

"I'm telling him now. I think he's taking it all right."

"Don't talk about me as 'him'!" I said angrily. "And I'm not taking it all
right. I'm not taking it at all."

"It's only such a very small part—we're all doing something, you know.
And your costume's ordered and everything. But how awfully sporting of
you."

After that, what could I say?

"Er—what am I?" I asked modestly.

"You're a—a small rat-catcher," said Myra cheerfully.

"I beg your pardon?"

"A rat-catcher."

"You said a small one. Does that mean that I'm of diminutive size, or
that I'm in a small way of business, or that my special line is young ones?"
 "It means that you haven't much to say."

"I see. And would you call it a tragic or a pathetic part?"

"It's a comic part, rather. You're Hereditary Grand Rat-Catcher to the

Emperor Bong. Bong the Second. Not the first Bong, the Dinner Bong."

"Look here. I suppose you know that I've never acted in my life, and
never been or seen a rat-catcher in my life. It is therefore useless for you to
tell me to be perfectly natural."

"You have so little to do; it will be quite easy. Your great scene is where
you approach the Emperor very nervously——"

"I shall do the nervous part all right."

"And beg him to spare the life of his mother-in-law."

"Why? I mean, who is she?"

"Miss Fortescue."

"Yes, I doubt if I can make that bit seem quite so natural. Still, I'll try."

"Hooray. How splendid!"

"A rat-catcher," I murmured to myself. "Where is the rat? The rat is on

the mat. The cat is on the rat. The bat is on the cat. The——"

"Mr Derry will go through your part with you to-morrow. Some of it is
funnier than that."

"The electrical engineer? What do they know about rat-catching?"

"Nothing, only——"

"Aha! Now I see who your mysterious Mr Derry is. He is going to

coach us."
 "He is. You've found it out at last. How bright green sweets make you."

"They have to be really bright green sweets. Poor man! What a job he'll
have with us all."

"Yes," said Myra, as she prepared to leave me. "Now you know why he
doesn't get up till ten."

"In the rat-catching business," I said thoughtfully, as I opened the door,

"the real rush comes in the afternoon. Rat-catchers in consequence never
get up till ten-thirty. Do you know," I decided, "I am quite beginning to like
my little part."

CHAPTER II

ALARMS AND EXCURSIONS

I was, I confess, very late the next morning, even for a rat-catcher. Mr
Derry was in the middle of his breakfast; all the others had finished. We
saluted, and I settled down to work.

"There is going to be a rehearsal at eleven o'clock, I believe," said

Derry. "It must be nearly that now."

"I shall be there," I said, "if I have to bring the marmalade with me.
You're going to coach us?"

"Well, I believe I said I would."

"Though I have never assumed the buskin myself," I went on, "I have,
of course, heard of you as an amateur actor." (Liar.) "And if you could tell
me how to act, while I am finishing my bacon, I should be most awfully
obliged."
 "Haven't you really done any?"

"Only once, when I was very small. I was the heroine. I had an offer, but
I had to refuse it, I said, 'Alath, dear heart, I may not, I am married
already.'"

"Very right and proper," murmured Derry.

"Well, as it turned out, I had made a mistake. It was my first who had
been married already. The little play was full of surprises like."

Derry coughed, and took out his pipe. "Let me see," he began, "what's
your part?"

"I am—er—a rodent-collector."

"Oh yes—the Emperor's rat-catcher."

"Grand hereditary," I said stiffly. "It had been in the family for years."

"Quite so."

I was about to enlarge upon the advantages of the hereditary principle

when the door opened suddenly to admit Myra and Archie.

"You don't say you're down at last!" said Myra, in surprise.

"I hardly say anything at breakfast, as a rule," I pointed out.

"What an enormous one you're having. And only last night——"

"On the contrary, I'm eating practically nothing—a nut and one piece of
parsley off the butter. The fact is, I glanced at my part before I went to bed,
and there seemed such a lot of it I hardly slept at all."

"Why, you don't come on very much," said Archie. "Neither do I. I'm a
conjuror. Can any gentleman here oblige me with a rabbit? ... No, sir, I said
a rabbit. Oh, I beg your pardon, I thought you were coming up on to the
stage.... Any gentleman——"
 "Have some jam instead. What do you mean by saying I don't come on
very much?" I took the book out of my pocket, and began to turn the leaves.
"Here you are, nearly every page—'Enter R.,' 'Exit R.,' 'Enter L.'—I don't
know who he is—'Exeunt R.,'—why, the rat-catcher's always doing
something. Ah, here they're more explicit—'Enter R.C.' Hallo, that's funny,
because I'd just—— Oh, I see."

"One of our oldest and most experienced mimes," said Archie to Derry.
"You must get him to talk to you."

"No secret of the boards is hid from him," added Myra.

"Tell us again, sir, about your early struggles," begged Archie.

"He means your early performances on the stage," explained Myra.

"There's one very jolly story about Ellen Terry and the fireproof curtain.
Let me see, were you Macbeth then, or Noise of Trumpets? I always forget."

I drank my last cup of tea, and rose with dignity.

"It is a humorous family," I apologised to Derry. "Their grandfather was

just the same. He would have his little joke about the first steam-engine."

Outside, in the hall, there was a large crowd of unemployed, all talking
at once. I caught the words "ridiculous" and "rehearsal," and the connection
between the two seemed obvious and frequent. I singled out Thomas,
abstracted his pouch, and began to fill up.

"What is all this acting business?" I asked. "Some idea about a little
play, what? Let's toddle off, and have a game of billiards."

"They've let me in for a bally part," said Thomas, "and you needn't think
you're going to get out of it. They've got you down, all right."

"Thomas, I will be frank with you. I am no less a person than the

Emperor Bong's Hereditary (it had been in the family for years) Grand Rat-
catcher. The real rush, however, comes in the afternoon. My speciality is
young ones."
 "I'm his executioner."

"And he has a conjuror too. What a staff! Hallo, good morning,

Simpson. Are you anything lofty?"

"'Oh, I am the Emperor Bong,'" said Simpson gaily; "'I am beautiful,

clever and strong——'"

"Question," said Thomas.

"''Tis my daily delight to carouse and to fight, and at moments I burst

into song.'"

I looked at him in amazement.

"Well, just at present," I said, "all I want is a match.... A lucifer, Emp. A

pine vesta, Maj. Thanks.... Now tell me—does anybody beside yourself
burst into song during the play? Any bursting by Thomas or myself, for
instance?"

"Nobody sings at all. My little poem is recitative."

"If you mean it's very bad, I agree with you," said Thomas.

"I made it up myself. It was thought that my part should be livened up a

little."

"Well, why hasn't it been?"

"If you will give me two minutes, Simpson," I said, "I will liven up my
own part better than that. What rhymes with rat-catcher?"

"Cat-catcher."

"Wait a bit.... Yes, that's got it.

"'Oh, I'm on the Emperor's staff

I'm a rodent-collector (don't laugh)—
My record (in braces)
 Of rats and their races
Is a thousand and eight and a half.'"

"May we have that again?" said Myra, appearing suddenly.

"'Oh, I'm on——'"

"No," said Thomas.

"'Oh, I'm on——'"

"No," said Simpson.

"There is no real demand, I'm afraid."

"Well, I did just hear it before," said Myra. "I wish you'd make up one
for me. I think we might all announce ourselves like that, and then the
audience will have no difficulty in recognising us."

"They'll recognise Thomas if he comes on with an axe. They won't think

he's just trotted round with the milk. But what are you, Myra?"

"The Emperor's wife's maid."

"Another member of the highly trained staff. Well, go on, Simpson."

"'Oh, I am her Majesty's maid,'" declared Simpson. "We all begin with
'Oh,' to express surprise at finding ourselves on the stage at all. 'Oh, I am
her Majesty's maid, I'm a sad little flirt, I'm afraid.'"

"I'm respectable, steady and staid," corrected Myra.

"No," I said; "I have it—"

"'Oh, I am her Majesty's maid!

And her charms are beginning to fade,
I can sit in the sun
 And look just twenty-one,
While she's thirty-six in the shade.'"

Myra made a graceful curtsey.

"Thank you, sir. You'll have to pay me a lot more of those before the
play is over."

"Will I really?"

"Well, seeing as the Grand Hereditary One is supposed to be making up

to her Majesty's confidential attendant——"

Miss Fortescue came pushing up to us.

"It is too ridiculous," she complained; "none of us know our parts yet,
and if we have a rehearsal now—what do you think about it?"

I looked at Myra and smiled to myself. "I'm all for a rehearsal at once,"
I said.

CHAPTER III

A REHEARSAL

"Now this is a very simple trick," said Archie, from the centre of the
stage. "For this little trick all I want is, a hippopotamus and a couple of
rubies. I take the hippopotamus in one hand—so—and cover it with the
handkerchief. Then, having carefully peeled the rubies——"
 Thomas put the last strip of silver paper on to his axe, and surveyed the
result proudly.

"But how splendid!" said Myra, as she hurried past. "Only you want
some blood." And she jumped over the footlights and disappeared.

"Good idea. Archie, where do you keep the blood?"

"Hey, presto! it's gone. And now, sir, if you will feel in your waistcoat
pockets you will find the hippopotamus in the right-hand side and the red
ink in the left. No? Dear, dear, the hippopotamus must have been a bad
one."

"Be an artist, Thomas," I said, "and open a vein or two. Do the thing
properly, Beerbohm. But soft, a winsome maid, in sooth; I will approach
her. I always forget that sooth bit. But soft, a win——"

"Why don't we begin?" asked Simpson; "I can't remember my part

much longer. Oh, by the way, when you come up to me and say, 'Your
Majesty e'en forgets the story of the bull's-eye and the revolving bookcase
——"

"Go away; I don't say anything so silly."

"Oh, of course it's Blair. Blair, when you come up to me and say——"
They retired to the back of the stage to arrange a very effective piece of
business.

"Any card you like, madam, so long as it is in the pack. The Queen of
Hearts? Certainly. Now I take the others and tear them up—so. The card
remaining will be yours. Ah, as I thought—it is the Queen of Hearts."

"Archie, you're talking too much," said Dahlia, "and none of it comes
into your part really."

"I'm getting the atmosphere. Have you an old top hat on you, dear,
because if so we'll make a pudding. No top hat? Then pudding is horf."
 "But stay, who is this approaching? Can it be—I say, mind the
footlights. When are we going to begin?"

"There!" said Thomas proudly. "Anybody would know that was blood."

"But how perfectly lovely," said Myra. "Only you want some notches."

"What for?"

"To show where you executed the other men, of course. You always get
a bit off your axe when you execute anybody."

"Yes, I've noticed that too," I agreed. "Notches, Thomas, notches."

"Why don't you do something for a change? What about the trap or
whatever it is you catch your bally rats with? Why don't you make that?"

"It isn't done with a trap, Thomas dear. It's partly the power of the
human eye and partly kindness. I sit upon a sunny bank and sing to them."

"Which is that?"

"If we don't begin soon," began Simpson——

"Hallo, Emperor, what's that you're saying? Quite so, I agree with you. I
wonder if your High Fatness can lend me such a thing as a hard-boiled egg.
Simpkins, when this rehearsal is over—that is to say, to-morrow—I'll take
you on at juggling; I'm the best——"

Deny finished his conversation with Miss Fortescue and turned to the
stage.

"Now then, please, please," he said. "We'll just take the First Act.
Scene, The Emperor's Palace. Enter Rat-catcher. You come on from the
left."

I coughed and came on.

 My part was not a long one, but it was a very important one. I was the
connecting link between the different episodes of the play, and they wanted
some connecting. Whenever anybody came on to the stage, I said
(supposing I was there, and I generally was—the rat-catcher of those days
corresponding to the modern plumber)—I said, "But who is this?" or "Hush,
here comes somebody." In this way, the attention of the wakeful part of the
audience was switched on to the new character, and continuity of action was
preserved.

I coughed and came on.

"No," said Derry, "you must come on much more briskly."

"I can't. I've been bitten by a rat."

"It doesn't say so anywhere."

"Well, that's how I read the part. Hang it, I ought to know if I've been
bitten or not. But I won't show it if you like; I'll come on briskly."

I went out, and came on very briskly.

"That's better," said Derry.

"'His Majesty ordered me to be here at the stroke of noon,'" I said.

"'Belike he has some secret commands to lay upon me, or perchance it is
nought but a plague of rats. But who is this?'"

"'Oh,'" said Myra, coming in suddenly, "'I had thought to be alone.'"

"'Nay, do not flee from me, pretty one. It is thus that——' I say, Myra,
it's no good my saying do not flee if you don't flee."

"I was just going to. You didn't give me a chance. There, now I'm
fleeing."

"Oh, all right. 'It is thus that the rats flee when they see me approaching.
Am I so very fearsome?'"
 "'Orrid," said Archie to himself from the wings.

"One moment," said Derry, and he turned round to speak to somebody.

"Puffickly 'orrid," said Archie again.

"Nay, do not frown," Myra went on, "'tis only my little brother, who is
like unto a codfish himself, and jealous withal."

"Ay, ay, and I thought it was a codfish. So that I had e'en brought the
egg-sauce with me."

"Trouble not thyself for that," said Archie. "For verily the audience will
supply thee with all the eggs thou wantest. I say, we are being funny."

"I'm not, I'm quite serious, I really did think it was a co—— 'But tell
me, fair one,'" I said hurriedly, "'for what dost the Emperor want me?'"

"Yes, yes," said Derry, "I'm sorry I had to interrupt you. I think perhaps
we had better begin again. Yes, from the beginning."

The rehearsal rolled on.

* * * * * * *

"I think it went splendidly," said Myra. "If only we had known our parts
and come in at the right moments and been more serious over it."

"If there's any laughing to be done it will have to be done by us. The
audience won't laugh."

"'Mr Derry having explained that the author was not in the house, the
audience collected their cauliflowers and left quietly.' I think it's a rotten
play."

"Well, it isn't frightfully funny," said Myra, "but we can put that in
ourselves."
 "It's so jolly hard to say the lines properly—they're so unnatural,"
complained Thomas. "'Truly thou hast created a favourable impression with
the damsel'—well, I mean, it's absurd. Any ordinary person would say
'Truly thou art amongst them, old spot,' or something of that kind."

"Well, you say that, Thomas; you'll be all right,"

"We might put a few songs in," said Dahlia, "and a dance or two."

"I think you've forgotten that we've done only Act I.," remarked Archie.
"His Majesty's conjuror doesn't really let himself go till Act II. Still, I'm all
for a song and a dance. Simpson, come and Apache with me."

They dashed at each other fiercely.

"Oh, we'll make it go all right," said Myra.

CHAPTER IV

LAST MOMENTS

"Has anybody here seen Kelly?" asked Dahlia, putting her head in at the
billiard-room door. "I mean Archie."

"I'm waiting here for Kate," I said. "I mean Myra."

"Oughtn't you to be dressing? It doesn't matter about me—I'm not on for

a long time."

"A rat-catcher's best suit is not an elaborate one; I can put it on in about
five minutes. It is now seven-thirty, we begin at eight-thirty—hence the
billiard cue. More chalk."
 "Oh, why aren't you nervous? How you can stand calmly there——"

"I am nervous. Look." I aimed carefully and put the red into a pocket
some miles away. "There you are. Have you ever seen me do that in real
life? Of course not. If my hand had been steady I should have been a foot to
the right. Still more chalk."

"Well, I want Archie, and I shall cry if I don't find him. That's how I
feel." She sat down and got up again.

"My dear Dahlia," I said solemnly, "now you can understand a father's
feelings—I mean, now, you see what you women have brought on
yourselves. Who suggested a play? The women. Who dragged me into it?
The women. Who said rat-catchers always wore whiskers? The women.
Who is designing me a pair of whiskers at this moment? The wom——
Simpson. Who but for whom (this is going to be a very difficult sentence)
who but for whom, would be just thinking of dressing leisurely for dinner,
instead of which we had a hasty snack, and have now got to put on heaven
knows what? The women. Well, it serves you right."

"Don't be horrid. I want Archie." She got up for the third time and
drifted out of the room.

I chalked my cue and went into a pocket without touching anything.

When I say I went in I mean that the ball I was playing with went in. You
do see that? Very well, then. I took it out and began to squint along my cue
again, when two hands came suddenly over my eyes and a voice said;
"Guess who is is."

"The Queen of Sheba," I tried.

"Right," said Myra.

I turned and looked at her.

"Golly, you do, you really do!" I said at last. "Did they always dress like
that in the Bong era? Short skirts, long pigtail, bare arms—lovely!"
 "'I can sit in the sun and look just twenty-one,'" sang Myra as she
dropped into the sofa.

"Well, just at present you're sitting in the billiard-room and looking

about fifteen.... How are you getting on with your French this term? I had a
very bad report in the holidays from your governess. The extra ninepence a
week seems to have been simply thrown away."

"Aren't you excited?" said Myra, looking at me with sparkling eyes.

"As for calisthenics, well, what I say is, 'My daughter is Church of
England, and if you don't like it, she can come away. I'm not going to have
her stuffed up with all that nonsense.'"

Myra jumped up. "Aren't you excited?" she insisted.

"Feel my tongue—I mean my pulse, it's quite normal. And why?

Because I've forgotten my part, and I'm going to bed."

"It's a great responsibility our beginning the play."

"It is. Have you ever thought that, if we refused to begin, the play
couldn't continue, and then the audience would be able to go home? My
idea was to tackle the people as they arrive, and come to terms with them.
I'm sure there's money in it."

"You aren't bothering, are you?"

"Of course, I am. I'd give a hundred pounds to be out of it. No, I
wouldn't—I'd give a hundred pounds if you'd always wear that frock and do
your hair like that. Will you? And you shall go on with your French, child."

Myra curtsied prettily.

"And I'll go on with my whiskers. You haven't seen me in those yet,

have you?" There was a loud noise without. "Here they are, coming in."

It was not the whiskers, however, but Archie and Thomas in full
costume; Archie in green and Thomas in black.