The day after the premiere of The Princess and the Pauper, Philip comes downstairs excitedly with the newspaper.

''Meg, come and see!''

So she does so. ''What is it, Phillip?''

''Take a look at this!'' he crows, and holds up the paper. The paper reads in big headlines- The greatest thing since the invention of opera!

''They liked it! They really liked it!'' he laughs, then reads some paragraphs aloud. ''Will we see more of Mademoiselle Giry singing on the stage? Might Madame Comtesse de Chagny, formerly Christine Daae, return to the stage? Will we see more of Mr Carlyle's work?''

''Oh, how wonderful! They liked my performance?''

''Of course!'' Caroline and Helen come downstairs, and dance around in joyful celebration.

Caroline takes the paper from Philip, reads it through. ''Father will be delighted to hear of this! He always thought you could do better plays then what you used to write when he met you.'' she says.

''I ought to start working on something new. Get out of what's familiar to me.'' Philip thinks. But what? He glances at Miss Giry. Meg, that's what everyone calls her, and that's what he's started calling her in his head. Maybe he could bring The Princess and the Pauper to America. Give Meg a debut in New York. It's a thought. Another thought pops into his head. A ballet. He doesn't know how to do one, but he has Caroline to help him with that. He could write the music. Caroline could come up with the choreography. But which story? There are thousands of stories just waiting to be adapted into ballets.

''Miss Giry, what's your favorite book?'' he asks.

''Alice in Wonderland. Second favorite is the Hunchback of Notre Dame.'' she smiles.

The second has already been adapted into a ballet, Esmeralda. So it will be Alice in Wonderland. When Meg heads off to the de Chagny house, Philip decides to start.

''Caroline, I need your help. On second thought, I need Helen's help too.''

''What?'' Helen asks.

''I'd like to write a ballet, for Miss Giry. Alice in Wonderland. Can you-''

Caroline cuts him off before he can finish. ''I knew you liked her! I've seen the way you look at her!''

''I didn't say I like her. Yes, she is a nice girl, sweet, very pretty, but you don't tell a girl you like her and she doesn't like you back.'' Philip scolds lightly.

''How do you know she doesn't?'' Helen speaks up.

''It's too soon to say! Now, back to the ballet.''

''You want us to help because we've got more experience then you with the subject?'' Caroline guesses.

Philip nods his head. ''Yes. Meg-Miss Giry will be playing Alice.''

Helen and Caroline look at each other and giggle over Philip's slip, but agree cheerfully to help.

''I'll do the scene design, and the costumes.'' Helen declares.

''And I'll work out the acting and work the story line into ballet form.'' Caroline adds, and they skip back upstairs.

XXX

''So, Christine, have you seen the reviews?''

''Yes. I'm absolutely delighted. It was a good idea of Mr Carlyle's to cast Raoul as the princess's love interest. Quite a few newspapers praised the idea of casting a married couple to play two people who are in love.'' Christine smiles, folds her hands on her lap. ''Also, Raoul wants to name the baby, if it's a boy, Heathcliff. I didn't consider the idea of it.''

''That it might be a boy?'' Meg prompts.

''Yes. Not to mention-'' here she leans forward,- ''I didn't know my husband had such a romantic literature-turn-of-mind.'' she giggles, leans back.

Meg laughs. ''You didn't know?''

Christine shakes her head. ''No! I mean, Raoul is very romantic-he leaves me little love letters on my pillow to wake up to- but he never told me what his favorite book was! He told me on the wedding night. He's very fond of Jane Austen.''

''Does he equate himself with Mr Darcy, Mr Bingley, Henry Tilney, Edmund Bertram, Mr Knightley, Captain Wentworth, Edward Ferrars, or Colonel Brandon?'' Meg asks after a time.

''I don't know. I ought to ask.''

''Is there anything else your husband is fond of?''

Christine thinks. ''Well, I know he loves fairytales. Papa used to tell them to us when we were children.''

XXX

Philip drops by the de Chagny house to pick up Meg, and she certainly looks surprised to see him.

''Why, Mr Carlyle, whatever are you doing here?''

''I came to pick you up. No one wants the future toast of Paris wandering alone on the street.'' he says.

''I can take care of myself. Ballet moves are excellent for self-defense.'' Meg informs.

He offers her his arm. ''You'll have to show me.'' She takes his arm, and they begin to walk down the street. ''I've a new idea in mind.''

''What story shall you be adapting to the stage?''

Philip pauses-just for a little while- and announces, ''Alice in Wonderland.'' He can see a look of delight cross Meg's face for a moment, and then she looks composed again.

''It will make a nice play.'' she says.

''It's not going to be a play. It's not going to be a play with songs. It's going to be a ballet.'' he says finally, and this time, she really does shriek out loud-in absolute and utter joy, of course- throws her arms around his neck, and kisses him. Some passerby stop and look at them, but continue on, thinking that a young man has asked the girl he loves out to dinner or has proposed.

She pulls away. ''I'm sorry! I'm just- are you sure you know how to write a ballet?''

''I don't, but Caroline's helping. Helen too.'' he replies, and takes her arm again. ''I'm glad you're happy about it.''

''I'm glad you're doing it-and you don't have to send down a chandelier to do so. Or threaten the managers. Or threaten anybody else at all.''