world learn how Hortense and her
manly fiance had escaped this trap. Again had Beulah Baxter striven and
suffered to give the public something better and finer.

"A wonder girl," declared Merton when they were again in the open.
"That's what I call her--a wonder girl. And she owes it all to hard,
unceasing struggle and work and pains and being careful. You ought to
read that new interview with her in this month's Silver Screenings."

"Yes, yes, she's wonderful," assented Tessie as they strolled to the
door of her shop. "But I've been thinking about comedy. You know my
new one I'm writing--of course it's a big, vital theme, all about a
heartless wife with her mind wholly on society and bridge clubs
and dancing and that sort of dissipation, and her husband is Hubert
Glendenning, a studious young lawyer who doesn't like to go out evenings
but would rather play with the kiddies a bit after their mother has gone
to a party, or read over some legal documents in the library, which is
very beautifully furnished; and her old school friend, Corona Bartlett,
comes to stay at the house, a very voluptuous type, high coloured,
with black hair and lots of turquoise jewellery, and she's a bad woman
through and through, and been divorced and everything by a man whose
heart she broke, and she's become a mere adventuress with a secret
vice--she takes perfume in her tea, like I saw that one did--and all her
evil instincts are aroused at once by Hubert, who doesn't really care
deeply for her, as she has only a surface appeal of mere sensuous
beauty; but he sees that his wife is neglecting him and having an
affair with an Italian count--I found such a good name for him, Count
Ravioli--and staying out with him until all hours; so in a moment of
weakness he gives himself to Corona Bartlett, and then sees that he must
break up his home and get a divorce and marry Corona to make an honest
woman of her; but of course his wife is brought to her senses, so she
sees that she has been in the wrong and has a big scene with Corona in
which she scorns her and Corona slinks away, and she forgives Hubert his
one false step because it was her fault. It's full of big situations,
but what I'm wondering--I'm wondering if I couldn't risk some comedy
in it by having the faithful old butler a cross-eyed man. Nothing
so outrageous as that creature we just saw, but still noticeably
cross-eyed. Do you think it would lighten some of the grimmer scenes,
perhaps, an