moment, Mr. Potter, but I've
got it. I've got it right here." He began frantically to turn out the
contents of his pockets. "It's in my memorandum book, if I could only
find--"

"The devil, the devil!" shouted Potter. "A fine understudy you've got
for us! She sees me standing here like--like a statue--delaying the
whole rehearsal, while we wait for you to find her name, and she won't
open her lips!" He swept the air with a furious gesture, and a subtle
faint relief became manifest throughout the company at this token that
the newcomer was indeed to fill Miss Lyston's place for one rehearsal at
least. "Why don't you tell us your name?" he roared.

"I understood," said the zither-sweet voice, "that I was never to speak
to you unless you directly asked me a question. My--"

"My soul! Have you got a name?"

"Wanda Malone."

Potter had never heard it until that moment, but his expression showed
that he considered it another outrage.

IV

The rehearsal proceeded, and under that cover old Tinker came
noiselessly down the aisle and resumed his seat beside Canby, who was
uttering short, broken sighs, and appeared to have been trying with fair
success to give himself a shampoo.

"It's ruined, Mr. Tinker!" he moaned, and his accompanying gesture was
misleading, seeming to indicate that he alluded to his hair. "It's all
ruined if he sticks to these horrible lines he's put in--people told me
I ought to have it in my contract that nothing could be changed. I was
trying to make the audience see the tragedy of egoism in my play--and
how people get to hating an egoist. I made 'Roderick Hanscom' a
disagreeable character on purpose, and--oh, listen to that!"

Miss Ellsling and Talbot Potter stood alone, near the front of the
stage. "Why do you waste such goodness on me, Roderick?" Miss Ellsling
was inquiring. "It is noble and I feel that I am unworthy of you."

"No, Mildred, believe me," Potter read from his manuscript, "I would
rather decline the nomination and abandon my career, and go to live in
some quiet spot far from all this, than that you should know one single
moment's unhappiness, for you mean far more to me than worldly success."
He kissed her hand with reverence, and lifted his head slowly, facing
the audience with rapt gaze; his wonderful smile--that ineffable smile
of abnegation and benignity--just beginning to dawn.

Coming from behind him, and therefore unable to see his face, Miss Wanda
Malone ad