t came during the revelation of "Roderick Hanscom's" secret, and Potter
stopped instantly.

"Who did that?"

"Miss Lyston, sir," Packer responded loyally, such matters being part of
his duty.

The star turned to face the agitated criminal. "Miss Lyston," he said,
delaying each syllable to pack it more solidly with ice, "will you be
good enough to inform this company if there is anything in your lines to
warrant your breaking into a speech of mine with a horrible noise like
that?"

"Nothing."

"Then perhaps you will inform us why you do break into a speech of mine
with a horrible noise like that?"

"I only coughed, Mr. Potter," said Miss Lyston, shaking.

"Coughed!" he repeated slowly, and then with a sudden tragic fury
shouted at the top of his splendid voice, "COUGHED!" He swung away from
her, and strode up and down the stage, struggling with emotion, while
the stricken company fastened their eyes to their strips of manuscript,
as if in study, and looked neither at him nor Miss Lyston.

"You only coughed!" He paused before her in his stride. "Is it your
purpose to cough during my speeches when this play is produced before an
audience?" He waited for no reply, but taking his head woefully in his
hands, began to pace up and down again, turning at last toward the dark
auditorium to address his invisible manager:

"Really, really, Mr. Tinker," he cried, despairingly, "we shall have to
change some of these people. I can't act with--Mr. Tinker! Where's Mr.
Tinker? Mr. Tinker! My soul! He's gone! He always is gone when I want
him! I wonder how many men would bear what I--" But here he interrupted
himself unexpectedly. "Go on with the rehearsal! Packer, where were we?"

"Here, sir, right here," brightly responded Packer, ready finger upon
the proper spot in the manuscript. "You had just begun, 'Nothing in this
world but that one thing can defeat my certain election and nothing but
that one thing shall de--"

"That will do," thundered his master. "Are you going to play the part?
Get out of the way and let's get on with the act, in heaven's name! Down
stage a step, Miss Ellsling. No; I said down. A step, not a mile!
There! Now, if you consent to be ready, ladies and gentlemen. Very well.
'Nothing in this world but that one thing can defeat my certain election
and noth--'" Again he interrupted himself unexpectedly. In the middle
of the word there came a catch in his voice; he broke off, and whirling
once more upon t