an nature. She determined to give
herself up entirely to a life of gain, and she went about it coldly,
methodically. She knew just how much champagne could be drunk without
injuring the health; she knew just what physical exercise was necessary
to preserve what remained of her beauty. There was no trick of the
hairdresser, the modiste, the manicurist, or any one of the legion of
queer people who devote their talents to aiding the outward
fascinations of women, with which she was not familiar. She knew
exactly what perfumes to use, what stockings to wear, how she should
live, how far she should indulge in any dissipation, and all this she
determined to devote to profit.

She had no self delusions. She knew that as an actress she had no
future; that the time of a woman's beauty is limited. Conscious that
she had already lost the youthful litheness of figure which had made
her so fascinating in the past, she laid aside every decent sentiment
and chose for her companion the man who had the biggest bank roll. His
age, his position in life, whether she liked or disliked him, did not
enter into her calculations at all. She figured out that she had been
made a fool of by men, and that there was only one revenge, the
accumulation of a fortune to make her independent of them once and for
all. She had, of course, certain likes and dislikes, and in a measure,
she indulged them. There were men whose company she preferred to that
of others, but in the case of these, their association was practically
sexless, and had come down to a point of mere good fellowship.

"Seen Laura lately?" asked the lawyer suddenly, after Elfie had given
the waiter her order.

"No--not for some days."

Warner looked surprised.

"I thought you and she were inseparable. You haven't quarreled, have
you?"

The girl laughed.

"Quarreled--no. Laura's too sweet a girl to quarrel with. Only you know
how it is. We're both so busy, with our eye on the main chance, that
there isn't much time for anything else. Besides, she's been playing
more or less ever since the season opened. I didn't see her in that
last piece, but they say she was fine. Of course, it was Brockton's
influence that got her the part. I expect to see her here to-night."

"So she's still stuck on Willard Brockton, eh?"

With a light laugh, she replied quickly:

"Laura's not the kind of girl to be 'stuck' on anybody--at least I hope
she isn't. She used to be inclined to get sentimental at