ymack's voice cracked on the final high note, which was of an
altitude beyond his powers. He turned with a modest cough.

"That'll give you an idea of it!"

"It has, old thing, it has!"

"Is it or is it not a ball of fire?"

"It has many of the earmarks of a sound egg," admitted Archie. "Of
course--"

"Of course, it wants singing."

"Just what I was going to suggest."

"It wants a woman to sing it. A woman who could reach out for that last
high note and teach it to take a joke. The whole refrain is working up
to that. You need Tetrazzini or someone who would just pick that note
off the roof and hold it till the janitor came round to lock up the
building for the night."

"I must buy a copy for my wife. Where can I get it?"

"You can't get it! It isn't published. Writing music's the darndest
job!" Wilson Hymack snorted fiercely. It was plain that the man was
pouring out the pent-up emotion of many days. "You write the biggest
thing in years and you go round trying to get someone to sing it, and
they say you're a genius and then shove the song away in a drawer and
forget about it."

Archie lit another cigarette.

"I'm a jolly old child in these matters, old lad," he said, "but why
don't you take it direct to a publisher? As a matter of fact, if it
would be any use to you, I was foregathering with a music-publisher only
the other day. A bird of the name of Blumenthal. He was lunching in here
with a pal of mine, and we got tolerably matey. Why not let me tool you
round to the office to-morrow and play it to him?"

"No, thanks. Much obliged, but I'm not going to play that melody in
any publisher's office with his hired gang of Tin-Pan Alley composers
listening at the keyhole and taking notes. I'll have to wait till I can
find somebody to sing it. Well, I must be going along. Glad to have seen
you again. Sooner or later I'll take you to hear that high note sung by
someone in a way that'll make your spine tie itself in knots round the
back of your neck."

"I'll count the days," said Archie, courteously. "Pip-pip!"

Hardly had the door closed behind the composer when it opened again to
admit Lucille.

"Hallo, light of my soul!" said Archie, rising and embracing his wife.
"Where have you been all the afternoon? I was expecting you this many an
hour past. I wanted you to meet--"

"I've been having tea with a girl down in Greenwich Village. I couldn't
get away before. Who was that who went out just as I came al