Old Primrose 123

His great fault was conceit; and this
carried him away now: for, seeing some of
the village boys coming along from school,
he decided to impose upon them by mak-
ing them believe him to
be a butterfly, although he
had not yet practised the @
part half enough, and was
unprepared for a public
rehearsal.

So he stood on a stump,
made his coat-tails tremble, and
let the two wisps of hair wave
in the breeze.

But as the boys passed by they
said, ‘‘ Hullo, there’s old Prim-
rose—what’s he doing xzow ?”

“They recognise me in
spite of the disguise,” mut-
tered the old man in great ;*
disappointment ; and he per-
ceived that if the thing was to be done at all
it must be done thoroughly.

He would have to begin at the beginning,
and carry the thing through.