Jo shoved two horns down the front of her shirt and she was playing “Jingle Bells” on them. She said, “I’m going to keep these and wear them the next time I see Phil. I think he’ll like them and they’ll make a lasting impression.”

She’s not wrong.

Flossie went for massive eyebrows and a comedy mustache and was walking around with bowlegs saying, “Howdy doodie.”

Blaise stopped in front of Flossie and said, “Well, well, and who is this Inner Clown?”

Flossie shouted, “The name’s Hank, ma’am, and I’m lookin’ for mah hoss, Andrew. And then we’re headin’ for the goddam hills, ma’am!!!”

We had to get into twos and “interact in a clowny way” as Blaise said. Vaisey clung to my arm. Her sweet little face looked all worried.

“I don’t really know how to do this, Lulles.”

I said, “Stick with me, little pally. If anyone knows how to be a clown, it’s me!”

Vaisey and me rummaged in the boxes and found baldy wigs, enormous check trousers and red noses, and some hilariously big shoes. And I found some buckets and paintbrushes. Aha. The very thing.

I said to Vaisey, “You know what we’re going to be with these big shoes and buckets, don’t you, Vaisey?”

She shook her curls and I popped my red nose on.

I said, “Go get that ladder, Vaisey. We’re going to decorate! And whatever I do, keep decorating!!”

We set up in business as Coco and Loco, clown decorators. Vaisey got up the ladder and started pretending to paint and I “helped” by falling over a plank and getting my head stuck in the ladder. When I got my head out of the ladder I fell backwards over my shoes. And ended up with my bottom in a bucket.

It was decorating chaos.

In the end everyone was watching us. You name it, I fell over it or through it. And what made it even funnier was that Vaisey just went on decorating.

Everyone was laughing at us, but in a good way. As the bell for the end of class rang, Vaisey bowed and I smacked her on the bum with my plank, she put the bucket over my head, and I fell into the trunk of props.

Blaise said, “Marvelous, girls. All of you. But top marks, Tallulah! Lullah, you were born to be a clown. I’ve always said that you had an unusual talent!!!”

Yes!! One nil to me, Dr. Lightowler!!

As we went out for break, I said, “Ms. Fox, can I ask you something? It’s just I winked at Dr. Lightowler accidentally and now she thinks everything I do is to annoy her. . . .”

Blaise said, “You winked at Dr. Lightowler. . . . I see, I see the trouble. She doesn’t understand you. She doesn’t understand that you are truly and genuinely daft. It’s your special gift. The world must see it.”

And she went off.

That’s good, isn’t it?

I think.