auto_prepend_file question

If I prepend a file and define a variable in it, I should be able to access that variable in index.php, right? So, if the prepend.php file has this: $Message = "This is a test<br>"; And then index.php has this: print $Message; I should end up with with the following text on my web browser when I load the page: This is a test Right? At least, that's the way I thought it worked, but it's not working for some reason and I'm trying to figure out what the problem is. Thanks, -Ed