led. If I stood on one foot, scratching the torn leg
of my stocking with the other--you know, Mag!--they yelled. If I
grinned, they just roared.

Oh, Mag, can't you see? Don't you understand? I was It. The center
of the stage I carried round with me--it was just Nancy Olden. And for
ten minutes Nancy had nothing to do but to play with 'em. 'Pon my
life, Mag, it's just like stealing; the old graft exactly; it's so
fascinating, so busy, and risky, except that they play the game with
you and pay you and love you to fool 'em.

When the curtain fell it was different. Grays followed by the
Charities, all clean and spick-and-span and--not in it; not even on the
edge of it--stormed up to Obermuller standing at the wings.

"I'll quit the show here and now," she squawked. "It's a shame, a
beastly shame. How dare you play me such a trick, Fred Obermuller? I
never was treated so in my life--to have that dirty little wretch come
tumbling on like that, without even so much as your telling me you'd
made up all this new business for her! It's indecent, anyway. Why, I
lost my cue. There was a gap for a full minute. The whole act was
such a ghastly failure that I--"

"That you'd better go out now and make your prettiest bow, Gray. Phew!
Listen to the house roar. That's what I call applause. Go on now."

She went.

Me? I didn't say a word. I looked at Obermuller and--and I just did
like this. Yes, winked, Mag Monahan. I was so crazily happy I had to,
didn't I?

But do you know what he did? Do you know what he did?

Well, I suppose I am screaming and the Troyons will put me out, but--he
just--winked--back!

And then Gray came trailing back into the wings, and the shrieking and
thumping and whistling out in front just went on--and on--and on--and
on. Um! I just listened and loved it--every thump of it. And I stood
there like a demure little kitten; or more like Mag Monahan after she'd
had a good licking, and was good and quiet. And I never so much as
budged till Obermuller said:

"Well, Nance, you have earned it. The gall of you! But it only proves
that Fred Obermuller never yet bought a gold brick. Only, let me in on
your racket next time. There, go on--take it. It's yours."

Oh, to have Fred Obermuller say things like that to you!

He gave me a bit of a push. 'Twas just a love-pat. I stumbled out on
to the stage.

VII.

And that's why, Marguerite de Monahan, I want you to buy in with