boy, and fifth secretary will no longer be required."

"Don't do that," pleaded Dorothy.

Strong tore up the note and turned to her. "What do you want of me?" he
asked.

She blushed and looked down. "I--I have written a--a play," she
faltered.

He smiled indulgently. He did not write plays himself, but he knew that
other people did.

"When does it come off?" he asked.

"The manager says it will have to at the end of the week. It came _on_ a
week ago."

"Well," he smiled, "if people don't want to go, I can't make them."

"Yes, you can," she said boldly.

He gave a start. His brain working at lightning speed saw the
possibilities in an instant. At one stroke he could win Lady Dorothy's
gratitude, provide _The Daily Vane_ with a temporary policy, and give a
convincing exhibition of the power of his press.

"Oh, Mr. Strong----"

"Hector," he whispered. As he rose from his desk to go to her, he
accidentally pressed the button of the trap-door. The next moment he was
alone.

. . . . .

"That the British public is always ready to welcome the advent of a
clean and wholesome home-grown play is shown by the startling success of
_Christina's Mistake_, which is attracting such crowds to The King's
every night." So wrote _The Daily Vane_, and continued in the same
strain for a column.

"Clubland is keenly exercised," wrote _The Evening Vane_, "over a
problem of etiquette which arises in the Second Act of _Christina's
Mistake_, the great autumn success at The King's Theatre. The point is
shortly this. Should a woman ..." And so on.

"A pretty little story is going the rounds," said _Slosh_, "anent that
charming little lady, Estelle Rito, who plays the part of a governess in
_Christina's Mistake_, for which ('Manager' Barodo informs me) advance
booking up to Christmas has already been taken. It seems that Miss Rito,
when shopping in the purlieus of Bond Street ..."

_Sloppy Chunks_ had a joke which set all the world laughing. It was
called----

"BETWEEN THE ACTS

_Flossie._ 'Who's the lady in the box with Mr. Johnson?'

_Gussie._ 'Hush! It's his wife!'

And Flossie giggled so much that she could hardly listen to the last
Act of _Christina's Mistake_, which she had been looking forward to
for weeks!"

_The Sunday Sermon_ offered free tickets to a hundred unmarried suburban
girls, to which class _Christina's Mistake_ might be supposed to make a
special