in the
Sultan's tent, staring before her with wide dark eyes, then slowly rising
began to speak. A sound, a sigh as of wonder, ran from the one to the
other of the throng that watched her. Why did she look thus, with
contracted brows, toward one quarter of the house? What inarticulate words
was she uttering? What gesture, quickly controlled, did she make of
ghastly fear and warning? And now the familiar words came halting from her
lips:--

"'Sure 'tis a horror, more than darkness brings,
That sits upon the night!'"

With the closing words of her speech the audience burst into a great storm
of applause. 'Gad! how she acts! But what now? Why, what is this?

It was quite in nature and the mode for an actress to pause in the middle
of a scene to curtsy thanks for generous applause, to smile and throw a
mocking kiss to pit and boxes, but Darden's Audrey had hitherto not
followed the fashion. Also it was not uncustomary for some spoiled
favorite of a player to trip down, between her scenes, the step or two
from the stage to the pit, and mingle with the gallants there, laugh,
jest, accept languishing glances, audacious comparisons, and such weighty
trifles as gilt snuffboxes and rings of price. But this player had not
heretofore honored the custom; moreover, at present she was needed upon
the stage. Bajazet must thunder and she defy; without her the play could
not move, and indeed the actors were now staring with the audience. What
was it? Why had she crossed the stage, and, slowly, smilingly, beautiful
and stately in her gleaming robes, descended those few steps which led to
the pit? What had she to do there, throwing smiling glances to right and
left, lightly waving the folk, gentle and simple, from her path, pressing
steadily onward to some unguessed-at goal. As though held by a spell they
watched her, one and all,--Haward, Evelyn, the Governor, the man in the
cloak, every soul in that motley assemblage. The wonder had not time to
dull, for the moments were few between her final leave-taking of those
boards which she had trodden supreme and the crashing and terrible chord
which was to close the entertainment of this night.

Her face was raised to the boxes, and it seemed as though her dark eyes
sought one there. Then, suddenly, she swerved. There were men between her
and Haward. She raised her hand, and they fell back, making for her a
path. Haward, bewildered, started forward, but her cry was not to him.