urned to her post and
found the box still empty. Mr. Vandeford had not arrived nor had Mr.
Farraday, but she seated herself resolutely. She was just in time to
witness a pitched battle between Miss Hawtry and Mr. Rooney.

"If you are determined to walk through the scenes, Miss Hawtry, do it
awake and not asleep!" stormed Mr. Rooney.

"Very well," answered Miss Hawtry, but Miss Adair's heart warmed to her
as she noted the contemptuousness in her manner directed toward her
stage-manager.

"Now see here, Height, you know that you want to get away with this
woman before her husband gets back. You can't do it with kid gloves on.
Spit on your hands, man, and grab her by the hair. You say: 'Rosalind, a
strong man's love is a weapon which a woman can easily turn against
herself with deadly outcome,' like you were begging her to go with you
over to Ligget's for an ice-cream soda with crushed strawberries. Say it
this way." And as she sat astounded Miss Adair heard a line that she had
written in a sympathetic fervor of imagination and which was perhaps her
favorite in the whole play, uttered by Mr. William Rooney with the most
exquisite and manly feeling, while his homely, vulgar face and body were
transformed into the same exquisiteness. A breathless happiness
descended upon her, and she waited in it to hear the beautiful Mr.
Gerald Height give utterance to it with the same art. Miss Hawtry
brought her to earth.

"Mr. Rooney," she said with an utter lack of appreciation or
comprehension of the bit of high art that had flashed upon her, "it is
in my contract with Mr. Vandeford that I rehearse my scenes alone with
my support until the dress rehearsal."

"Yes, I might have judged that from 'Miss Cut-up,'" Mr. Rooney answered
her with a blow straight from his shoulder. "Give little sister her
cue, Height, and let her run on to rescue you. God knows you need it!"

"Mr. Rooney, I'll have you understand--" Miss Hawtry came to the center
to continue her tirade, when Mr. Rooney struck the decisive blow.

"Everybody on and begin the scene over!" he commanded right past the
enraged star. "Take it up, Kent, with Miss Herne at 'I will write the
message to your son,' and get her going, get her going!"

At this forceful command the machinery of "The Purple Slipper" was set
in motion, and swept Miss Hawtry off center and into her place for the
time being.

And despite herself Miss Adair was fascinated in watching the machine
grind aw