hat you are."

"You seem to hesitate to tell me what I am."

"I do," he gravely answered, and for a moment she sat in silence.

"There's one objection to your assisting at rehearsals," she said,
irrelevantly. "You will lose all the intoxication of seeing your play
freshly bodied forth. It will be a poor, old, ragged story for you at
the end of the three weeks."

"I've thought of that; but there are other compensations."

"You mean the pleasure of having the work go right--"

"Yes, partly that--partly the suggestion that comes from a daily study
of it."

But the greatest compensation of all--the joy in her daily
companionship--he did not have the courage to mention, and though she
divined other and deeper emotions she, too, was silent.

VI

In the wearisome grind of rehearsal, Douglass was deeply touched and
gratified by Helen's efforts to aid him. She was always willing to try
again, and remained self-contained even when the author flung down the
book and paced the stage in a breathless rage. "Ah, the stupidity of
these people!" he exclaimed, after one of these interruptions. "They are
impossible. They haven't the brains of a rabbit. Take Royleston; you'd
think he ought to know enough to read a simple line like that, but he
doesn't. He can't even imitate my way of reading it. They're all so
absorbed in their plans to make a hit--"

"Like their star," she answered, with a gleam in her eyes, "and the
author."

"But our aims are larger."

"But not more vital; their board and washing hang on their success."

He refused to smile. "They are geese. I hate to have you giving time and
labor to such numskulls. You should give your time to your own part."

"I'm a quick study. Please don't worry about me. Come, let's go on;
we'll forget all about it to-morrow," and with a light hand on his arm
she led him back to the front of the stage, and the rehearsal proceeded.

It was the hardest work he ever did, and he showed it. Some of the cast
had to be changed. Two dropped out--allured by a better wage--and all
the work on their characterizations had to be done over. Others were
always late or sick, and Royleston was generally thick-headed from
carousal at his club. Then there were innumerable details of printing
and scenery to be decided upon, and certain overzealous minor actors
came to him to ask about their wigs and their facial make-up.

In desperation over the small-fry he took the stage himself, helping