th in London, and she told him where you were and what
you were doing. For a girl who fled at his mere approach the night
before last, you don't seem very agitated by the news," he said, as
Jill burst into a peal of laughter.

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Freddie got Mr. Pilkington to put him in the chorus of the piece. He
was rehearsing when I arrived at the theatre this morning, and having
a terrible time with Mr. Miller. And, later on, Mr. Goble had a
quarrel with the man who was playing the Englishman, and the man threw
up his part, and Mr. Goble said he could get any one in the chorus to
play it just as well, and he chose Freddie. So now Freddie is one of
the principals, and bursting with pride!"

Wally threw his head back and uttered a roar of appreciation which
caused a luncher at a neighbouring table to drop an oyster which he
was poising in mid-air.

"Don't make such a noise!" said Jill severely. "Everyone's looking at
you."

"I must! It's the most priceless thing I ever heard. I've always
maintained and I always will maintain that for pure lunacy nothing can
touch the musical comedy business. There isn't anything that can't
happen in musical comedy. 'Alice in Wonderland' is nothing to it."

"Have you felt that, too? That's exactly how I feel. It's like a
perpetual 'Mad Hatter's Tea-Party.'"

"But what on earth made Freddie join the company at all?"

A sudden gravity descended upon Jill. The words had reminded her of
the thing which she was perpetually striving to keep out of her
thoughts.

"He said he wanted to be there to keep an eye on me."

Gravity is infectious. Wally's smile disappeared. He, too, had been
recalled to thoughts which were not pleasant.

Wally crumbled his roll. There was a serious expression on his face.

"Freddie was quite right. I didn't think he had so much sense."

"Freddie was not right," flared Jill. The recollection of her
conversation with that prominent artist still had the power to fire
her independent soul. "I'm not a child. I can look after myself. What
I do is my own business."

"I'm afraid you're going to find that your business is several
people's business. I am interested in it myself. I don't like your
being on the stage. Now bite my head off!"

"It's very kind of you to bother about me...."

"I said 'Bite my head off!' I didn't say 'Freeze me!' I take the
licence of an old friend who in his time has put worms down your
back, and I repeat--I