ansformed him. Her faith, her joy in life was a steady flame; nothing
seemed to disturb her or make her afraid. And she attributed this
strength, this joyous calm, to his innate sense of power--and admired
him for it. That he drew from her, relied upon her, never entered her
conception of their relations to each other.

Nevertheless, as the play was nearing its initial production the critics
loomed larger. Together they ran over the list. "There is the man who
resembles Shakespeare?" she asked.

"He will be kindly."

"And the fat man with shifty gray eyes?"

"He will slate us, unless--"

"And the big man with the grizzled beard?"

"We'll furnish him a joke or two."

"And the man who comes in on crutches?"

"He'll slaughter us; he hates the modern."

"Then the man who looks like Lincoln?"

"He is on our side. But how about the man with the waxed mustache?"

"He'll praise me."

"And slit the playwright's ears. Well, I will not complain. What will
the 'Free Lance' do--the one who accepts bribes and cares for his
crippled daughter like an angel--what will he do?"

"Well, that depends. Do you know him?"

"I do not, and don't care to. That exhausts the list of the notables;
the rest are bright young fellows who are ready to welcome a good
thing. Some of them I know slightly, but I do not intend to do one
thing, aside from my work, to win their support."

"That is right, of course. Westervelt may take a different course." And
in this confident way they approached the day of trial.

Westervelt, watching with uneasy eyes the growing intimacy of his star
and her playwright, began to hint his displeasure to Hugh, and at last
openly to protest. "What does she mean?" he asked, explosively. "Does
she dream of marrying the man? That would be madness! Death! Tell her
so, my boy."

Hugh concealed his own anxiety. "Oh, don't worry, they're only good
comrades."

Westervelt grunted with infinite contempt. "Comrades! If he is not
making love to her I'm a Greek."

Hugh was much more uneasy than the manager, but he had more sense than
to rush in upon his famous sister with a demand. He made his complaint
to the gentle mother. "I wish she would drop this social business with
Douglass. He's a good fellow, but she oughtn't to encourage him in this
way. What's the sense of having him on the string every blessed
afternoon? Do you imagine she's in earnest? What does she mean? It would
be fatal to have her marry anybody now-