e heart of a man is oppressed with
care." The cure was never insisted on with such an angry vehemence.

Recovering from the first shock of this fierce noise, Macleod began to
look around this strange place, with its magical colors and its
profusion of gilding; but nowhere in the half-empty stalls or behind the
lace curtains of the boxes could he make out the visitor of whom he was
in search. Perhaps she was not coming, then? Had he sacrificed the
evening all for nothing? As regarded the theatre or the piece to be
played, he had not the slightest interest in either. The building was
very pretty, no doubt; but it was only, in effect, a superior sort of
booth; and as for the trivial amusement of watching a number of people
strut across a stage and declaim--or perhaps make fools of themselves to
raise a laugh--that was not at all to his liking. It would have been
different had he been able to talk to the girl who had shown such a
strange interest in the gloomy stories of the Northern seas; perhaps,
though he would scarcely have admitted this to himself, it might have
been different if only he had been allowed to see her at some distance.
But her being absent altogether? The more the seats in the stalls were
filled--reducing the chances of her coming--the more empty the theatre
seemed to become.

"At least we can go along to that house you mentioned," said he to his
companion.

"Oh, don't be disappointed yet," said Ogilvie; "I know she will be
here."

"With Mrs. Ross?"

"Mrs. Ross comes very often to this theatre. It is the correct thing to
do. It is high art. All the people are raving about the chief actress;
artists painting her portrait; poets writing sonnets about her different
characters--no end of a fuss. And Mrs. Ross is very proud that so
distinguished a person is her particular friend."

"Do you mean the actress?"

"Yes; and makes her the big feature of her parties at present; and
society is rather inclined to make a pet of her, too--patronizing high
art, don't you know. It's wonderful what you can do in that way. If a
duke wants a clown to make fellows laugh after a Derby dinner, he gets
him to his house and makes him dance; and if the papers find it out, it
is only raising the moral status of the pantomine. Of course it is
different with Mrs. Ross's friend: she is all right socially."

The garrulous boy was stopped by the sudden cessation of the music; and
then the Italian lake and the peacocks disappear