't know her, I don't know her!"

"Here!" cried Lily, snatching the paper from Ave Maria's bodice. "Do you
know that? Can you read? Now will you deny that she's your wife ... your
wife ... your wife?" she repeated, rejoicing in being able to hurl the
word to Trampy, who turned pale with fright.

"We'll try and arrange it," whispered Jimmy, still hardly recovered from
his surprise. "A divorce in Lily's favor first! She'll dictate your answer
for you; you've only got to say yes to everything. And then you can be off
somewhere; to West Australia. I'll pay your expenses. And don't you ever
dare to show your face again! Never! Do you understand?"

"And that'll teach you to make little of people!" cried Lily. "Let's drink
to the health of Trampy, the faithful husband! I'll stand champagne all
round to the health of good old Trampy and his dear little wife!"

But, without waiting for the champagne, already Ave Maria was dragging
Trampy to the door and the Roofer girls gave him a triumphal exit. They
sent him to Halifax, they sent him to Coventry. They flourished things at
his head, amid an uproar of jolly hootings, and took aim at him--"Ping!
Ping!"--and pinched him, as the Merry Wives did Falstaff in Windsor
Forest. And they slipped off their shoes in honor of his wedding, by Jove!
And Trampy fled under a shower of boots and slippers, fled like mad, as
though the devil were after him.

Jimmy did not know if he was on his head or his heels for joy:

"I'll stand the champagne!" he said. "To Miss Lily's health!"

So much had happened in those few minutes: Lily free again ... and no
scandal ... the divorce assured ... Trampy admitting his misdeeds,
inventing them, if necessary, confessing anything they asked him to, as
long as they did not mention bigamy.... Jimmy, had it been possible, would
have offered a general picnic to the whole company. He, usually so calm,
felt inclined to sing, to laugh. Never would he have dared to hope.... And
it had all come so simply, like the things that are bound to happen. Lily
was free!

"Bring the bottles up here," he said to the call-boy, "and biscuits and
cakes. We'll drink it here! We'll christen the stage, as if we were
launching a ship ... in champagne, here, by ourselves! among ourselves!
Here's to the stage-manager! Here's to all of us!"

Lily, happy as happy could be, shook everybody by the hand, distributed a
"'K you" here and a "'K you" there. She would have liked to have Glass-