the amateur. The performance received an ovation.

"You were quite interesting," Cartel said, sparingly--inspecting her
with half-closed, speculative eyes.

"Do I get my job?" she inquired.

Later, he spoke to her parents about her talent.

"For goodness' sake, don't tell her," urged her mother.

"You wouldn't let me take her for a season?" he inquired.

"I should say not!" replied Mrs. Bryce, with emphasis.

The fuss that was made over the girl was enough to turn her head
completely.

"We've got to take her away, that's all," said Wally, a day or two
later.

"Where?" inquired Max, irritated to brevity.

"I don't know. She gets into trouble wherever she goes. We might open
The Beeches."

"Well, we won't."

In the meantime Isabelle asked Cartel daily about a job in his company.

"Nothing doing without your parents' consent."

"If I make them consent, do I get it?"

"Possibly; but they won't," he teased her.

"You don't know me," she warned him.

The end of August came, and with it the great man's departure, for
rehearsals in town. Isabelle was desolated. Her god, her idol, was
leaving her behind, and only because of those eternal drawbacks--her
parents. She said her farewell to him demurely, and echoed his hope that
they would meet soon in town.

"You've made my summer for me, little witch," he said, in an aside.

[Illustration: _"You've made my summer for me, little witch," Cartel
said_]

He left. There passed three days of utter misery and boredom. Wally went
to New York on business, and refused to take her along; Max was cross;
the devil of revolt entered Isabelle.

She wired Cartel:

Terrible row. Disinherited by parents. Will apply at theatre
to-morrow, at ten, for promised job.
ISABELLE.

She sneaked two dress-suit cases on to the hotel baggage 'bus, and she
took a morning train to New York. Arrived there she wired Max:

Am going on stage. Useless to try to stop me. Am determined on a
career.
ISABELLE.

Max received this message at tea time, as she sat with a group of merry
idlers on the piazza. She read it--frowned. With an exclamation of
annoyance she summoned a boy, and wrote as follows to Wally:

Isabelle has joined Cartel. Catch her and bring her back.
MAX.

"Is a