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Robert like his handkerchiefs?”
    Celia nodded enthusiastically.
    After the maids removed the dinner plates and food, they brought in the dessert—tiny individual Christmas cakes, covered with red, green, and white icing.
    As one of the maids placed a tiny cake in front of Mandie, she leaned over to Tommy and said, “This dinner must have cost your school a fortune.”
    Tommy laughed. “We pay enough tuition to cover this and more,” he said.
    Suddenly Celia tugged at Mandie’s sleeve. “April Snow is gone!” she whispered.
    Mandie turned quickly to stare at the empty chair where April had been sitting. Tommy and Robert followed her gaze.
    â€œI wonder where she went,” Mandie replied.
    â€œThere’s one thing for sure,” Tommy assured the girls. “It’s too far for her to walk back to your school in this cold weather.”
    Celia tossed her auburn curls to look in Miss Prudence’s direction. “I wonder if Miss Prudence knows she left.”
    The headmistress seemed completely absorbed in conversation with Mr. Chadwick. However, Miss Hope was looking at April’s empty chair and frowning.
    â€œWell, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Robert told the girls. “Maybe she’ll come back in a little while.”
    â€œI doubt that,” Mandie replied with a sigh.
    As the evening passed, April didn’t return to the dining room, and Mandie worried about what she might be doing. But Robert was right. There was nothing they could do about it.
    As soon as everyone had finished dessert, Mr. Chadwick rose and addressed the students. “Young ladies, we will now have a skit put on by the young men who didn’t have partners for this dinner. As you all probably know, we have one-third more students than Miss Heathwood. That left a few of our students free to perform for us. I hope you enjoy it.”
    The musicians struck a chord, and a curtain covering the entire wall at one end of the room was slowly drawn back, revealing a lighted stage set with a scene for the holidays.
    The students watched as the story of Jesus’ birth unfolded in the drama on stage. Joseph and Mary were looking for a place to stay and were refused at the inn.
    At first Mandie wondered where a boys’ school found a girl to play Mary, but as she looked again, she couldn’t tell if the actor was a boy or girl. Wearing loose robes and a hood over the head, the character of Mary spoke in low tones.
    Mandie’s ears perked up as she listened intently to the dialogue. Suddenly she turned to Celia. “I do believe that’s April playing the part of Mary!” she whispered excitedly.
    Celia nodded in agreement. Robert and Tommy understood and watched carefully to see if Mandie could be right.
    Robert whispered, “I think it’s Stan. He’s about that size.”
    â€œYes, that’s Stan,” Tommy agreed.
    Mandie and Celia looked at each other.
    â€œAre you sure?” Mandie asked.
    â€œTo be honest, no,” Tommy admitted.
    The scene continued on, but even when the curtain closed, they still weren’t certain who was playing the part of Mary. After a lot of applause, the curtain opened again for a bow. The actors lined up in a row across the stage with “Mary” in the middle. As that person bowed, the hood fell away, revealing none other than April Snow.
    Mandie gasped. “I thought so!” she exclaimed. “It is April!”
    â€œHow did she get into that play?” Celia wondered aloud.
    â€œWell, I wonder what happened to Stan?” Tommy looked puzzled. “I heard he was going to play that character since we don’t have any girls at our school.”
    Mandie glanced across the room to Miss Prudence. She looked shocked, while Miss Hope was smiling in wonderment.
    â€œI don’t think I’d want to be in April’s shoes when we get back to our school,” Mandie commented.
    After