l business, Joe,
come to my office. You know where that is."

Joe knew very well; in fact, there had been more than one difficulty
which had been adjusted through Mr. Chalker's not wholly disinterested
aid.

Then the singer appeared again attired in a new and startling dress,
and Joe began once more to applaud again with voice and stick. Mr.
Chalker, surprised at this newly-developed enthusiasm for art, left
him and walked up the hall, and sat down beside the chairman, whom he
seemed to know. In fact, the chairman was also the proprietor of the
show, and Mr. Chalker was acting for him in his professional capacity,
much as he had acted for Mr. Emblem.

"Who is your new singer?" he asked.

"She calls herself Miss Carlotta Claradine. She's a woman, let me tell
you, Mr. Chalker, who will get along. Fine figure, plenty of cheek,
loud voice, flings herself about, and don't mind a bit when the words
are a leetle strong. That's the kind of singer the people like. That's
her husband, at the far end of the room--the big, good-looking chap
with the light mustache and the cigarette in his mouth."

"Whew!" Mr. Chalker whistled the low note which indicates Surprise.
"That's her husband, is it? The husband of Miss Carlotta Claradine, is
it? Oho! oho! Her husband! Are you sure he is her husband?"

"Do you know him, then?"

"Yes, I know him. What was the real name of the girl?"

"Charlotte Smithers. This is her first appearance on any stage--and we
made up the name for her when we first put her on the posters. I made
it myself--out of Chlorodyne, you know, which is in the
advertisements. Sounds well, don't it? Carlotta Claradine."

"Very well, indeed. By Jove! Her husband, is he?"

"And, I suppose," said the chairman, "lives on his wife's salary.
Bless you, Mr. Chalker, there's a whole gang about every theater and
music hall trying to get hold of the promising girls. It's a regular
profession. Them as have nothing but their good looks may do for the
mashers, but these chaps look out for the girls who'll bring in the
money. What's a pretty face to them compared with the handling of a
big salary every week? That's the sort Carlotta's husband belongs to."

"Well, the life will suit him down to the ground."

"And jealous with it, if you please. He comes here every night to
applaud and takes her home himself. Keeps himself sober on purpose."

And then the lady appeared again in a wonderful costume of blue silk
and tights, per