he frame."

This was the end of the concert.

CHAPTER XLV

STRANGE RESULT OF A QUARREL

The next afternoon Audrey sat nervous and expectant, but highly finished,
in her drawing-room at the Hotel du Danube. Miss Ingate had gone out,
pretending to be quite unaware that she had been sent out. The more
detailed part of Audrey's toilette had been accomplished subsequent to Miss
Ingate's departure, for Audrey had been at pains to inform Miss Ingate that
she, Audrey, was even less interested than usual in her appearance that
afternoon. They were close and mutually reliable friends; but every
friendship has its reservations. Elise also was out; indeed, Miss Ingate
had taken her.

Audrey had the weight of all the world on her, and so long as she was alone
she permitted herself to look as though she had. She had to be wise, not
only for Audrey Moze, but for others. She had to be wise for Musa, whose
failure, though the newspapers all spoke (at about twenty francs a line) of
his overwhelming success, was admittedly lamentable; and she hated Musa;
she confessed that she had been terribly mistaken in Musa, both as an
artist and as a man; still, he was on her mind. She had to be wise about
her share in the new campaign of Rosamund, which, while not on her mind,
was on her conscience. She had to be wise about the presumable loss of her
fortune; she had telegraphed to Mr. Foulger early that morning for
information, and an answer was now due. Finally she had to be wise for Mr.
Gilman, whose happiness depended on a tone of her voice, on a single
monosyllable breathed through those rich lips. She looked forward with
interest to being wise for Mr. Gilman. She felt capable of that. The other
necessary wisdoms troubled her brow. She seemed to be more full of
responsibility and sagacity than any human being could have been expected
to be. She was, however, very calm. Her calmness was prodigious.

Then the bell rang, and she could hear one of the hotel attendants open the
outer door with his key. Instantly her calmness, of which she had been so
proud, was dashed to pieces and she had scarcely begun in a hurry to pick
the pieces up and put them together again when the attendant entered the
drawing-room. She was afraid, but she thought she was happy.

Only it was not Mr. Gilman the attendant announced. The man said:

"Mademoiselle Nickall."

Audrey said to herself that she must get Nick very quickly away. She was in
no humour