"Gosh, I wish I did."

Miss Burton collected her brood. "Come together, children, I have
something to say to you. Soon it will be time to go in and hear Mr.
George. Now, if Mr. George is so kind as to entertain us, don't you
think that it's only proper for us to entertain him?"

"We could put on our class play!" yelled Barbara.

"Barbara's a fine one to talk," said Frances. "She doesn't even remember
her lines."

"No, children, we mustn't do anything we can't do well. That wouldn't
make a good impression. And besides, there is no time for a play.
Perhaps Barbara will sing--"

"I can sing a 'Thank You' song," interrupted Frances.

"That would be nice."

"I can recite," added another little girl.

"Fine. How about you, Carolyn? You and your little friend, Doris. Can
she act too?"

Carolyn giggled. "Oh, yes, she can act very well. I can act like people.
She can act like animals." The laughing, girlish eyes evaded a dirty
look from the little friend. "She can act like _any_ kind of animal."

"She's certainly a talented child. But she seems so shy!"

"Oh, no," said Carolyn. "She likes to be coaxed."

"She shouldn't be like that. Perhaps, Carolyn, you and Doris can do
something together. And perhaps, too, Mr. George will be pleased to see
that your teacher also has talent."

"You, Miss Burton?"

Miss Burton coughed modestly. "Yes, children, I never told you, but I
was once ambitious to be an actress too. I studied dramatics, and
really, I was quite good at it. I was told that if I persevered I might
actually be famous. Just think, your teacher might actually have been a
famous actress! However, in my day, there were many coarse people on the
stage, and the life of the theater was not attractive--but perhaps we'd
better not speak of that. At any rate, I know the principles of the
dramatic art very well."

* * * * *

"God knows what I'll have to go through," said Curt. "And I don't see
how I can take it sober."

"I don't see how they can take you drunk," replied Carol.

"Why go through with it at all? Why not call the whole thing quits?"

"Because people are depending on you. You always want to call quits
whenever you run into something you don't like. You may as well call
quits to your contract if that's the way you feel."

"And to your ten per cent, darling."

"You think I'd mind that. I work for my ten per cent, Curt, sweetheart.
I work too damn hard for