zed the worldly instinct in Charmian,
which many of them shared, and could not quite understand why she had
chosen Claude Heath as her husband. They had not heard much of him. He
never went anywhere, was personally unknown to them. It seemed rather
odd. They had scarcely thought Charmian Mansfield would make that kind
of marriage. Of course he was a thorough gentleman, and a man with
pleasant, even swiftly attractive manners. But still--! The general
verdict was that Charmian must have fallen violently in love with the
man.

She felt the feelings of the "set." And she felt that she must justify
her choice as soon as possible. To the set Claude Heath was simply a
nobody. Charmian meant to turn him into a somebody.

This turning of Claude into a somebody was to be the first really
important step in her campaign on his behalf. It must be done subtly,
delicately, but it must be done swiftly. She was secretly impatient to
justify her choice.

She had at first relied on Max Elliot to help her. He was an
enthusiastic man and had influence. Unluckily she soon found that for
the moment he was so busy adoring Jacques Sennier that he had no time to
beat the big drum for another. Sennier had carried him off his feet, and
Madame Sennier had "got hold of him." The last phrase was Charmian's. It
was speedily evident to her that, womanlike, the Frenchwoman was not
satisfied with the fact of her husband's immense success. She was
determined that no rival should spring up to divide adorers into camps.
No doubt she argued that there is in the musical world only a limited
number of discriminating enthusiasts, capable of forming and fostering
public opinion, of "giving a lead" to the critics, and through them to
the world. She wanted them all for her husband. And their allegiance
must be undivided. Although she was in New York, she had Max Elliot "in
her pocket" in London. It was a feat which won Charmian's respect, but
which irritated her extremely. Max Elliot was charming, of course, when
she spoke of her husband's talent. But she saw at once that he was
concentrated on Sennier. She felt at once that he did not at the moment
want to "go mad" over any other composer. If Claude had been a singer, a
pianist, or a fiddler, things would have been different. Max Elliot had
taken charge of the Frenchman's financial affairs, solely out of
friendship, and was investing the American and other gains in various
admirable enterprises. Madame Sennie