help me?" he cried to her. It was his first uttered need of
her, and her heart beat high in response.

"I will, if you will let me, Jack o' Dreams."

"Don't let me give up! Don't let me lose heart!"

"No, I won't. I'll push, or haul you, to the top!"

"I came to scoff, and I stay to pray," said Jarvis, cryptically. "God
bless you, Bambi!" he added, as he left her.

X

No letter from Mr. Strong arrived in the morning's mail, so Bambi
induced Jarvis to go over to the Cubist show, by himself, on the plea
that she had a headache. He went, most willingly, anywhere,
except Broadway.

The minute he was out of the way her languid, headachey manner changed
to one of brisk energy. She donned her smartest frock and hat. She was
more earnest in her effort to allure the eye than she was on the day of
her own conquest. "You must look your best, you little old Bambi, you,
and see what you can do for big Jarvis!"

After the last nod of approval at her reflected self, she tucked
Jarvis's manuscript under her arm, and started forth. She had made a
close study of all the theatrical columns of the papers and magazines
since their arrival in New York, so she was beginning to have a formal
bowing acquaintance with the names of the leading managers.

In spite of her cheerful acceptance of Jarvis's mood of despair, the day
before, she was really deeply touched by it, and appealed to by his
helplessness to cope with the situation. She remembered her words to her
father, "He cannot accommodate himself to the commercial standards of
the times." It was so true. And was she right in submitting him to them
so ruthlessly? Was she blunting something fine in him by this ugly
picture she was holding up for him to see, of a thoroughly
commercialized drama, the laws and restrictions of which he must know
and conquer, or be silenced? All the mother in her hated to have him
hurt, but the sensible helpmeet part of her knew that it must be done.
Of course he could not be expected to know how to approach managers, all
at once. He was probably very tactless. He admitted that he had called
the enemy of yesterday a "pig." Naturally that was no way to help his
cause. Perhaps, after this experience, and his new cognizance of
conditions, it would be better for him to write in quiet and solitude,
while she acted as salesman.

"I'm just plain adventuress enough to love the fight of it," she
admitted to herself as she approached the office she had sele