he sake of simplicity and also to
enhance her authority over the people she should employ, was making
every arrangement in her name only, had had to pay a large sum down
before she had been allowed to take possession of the theatre, for she
had been preceded by some other enterprising actress, with whom the
lessees had been less stringent, and who had come to grief, much to
their disgust. The costumers and the printers, too, were shy of
unknown dames with stage ambitions, and their co-operation was not to
be obtained without a show of bank notes.

Nor was Cleo unprepared in the all-important question of the play
itself. She had employed some of her past leisure at Hampstead in
translating many pieces from the French, and she now gave Morgan half
a dozen to read, saying she had already formed her own opinion as to
which one contained the best part for her and she wanted to see if his
judgment would tally with hers. Morgan was glad to have this quiet
task to keep him occupied for a few days. He took it, however, very
solemnly, for he wished to arrive at an honest decision, but he did
not wish it to be different from hers. However, he could not say he
liked any of the plays. Half of them were modern, half Oriental; all
artificial and stilted, and full of long-winded inanity. Eventually he
selected one of the Oriental, which he thought would at any rate give
Cleo an opportunity of displaying her dresses--to such Machiavellian
extent had she already influenced him. To his delight, she declared
that his choice was hers. He timidly ventured on a little criticism,
but she laughed and assured him that the play itself signified
nothing--plays were mere excuses for acting. This one provided a
part which, if not the ideal one for her, would at least enable her to
display herself and her genius to some advantage. Of course, she was
well aware she was not making the debut that befitted her genius, as
that would have involved a play written specially for her in which
every other part was artistically subordinated to her own, a vast
theatre such as the one she had dreamed of, and a lavish expenditure;
her brain, moreover, being entirely relieved of all material
considerations and her spirit left unfettered. Under the present
make-shift circumstances she must be content with such humble
beginning as the poor funds at her disposal would allow her. And
Morgan felt quite guilty at his inability to provide the ideal debut
she described, fe