y cheerful.

"You must be sure they tell you exactly how Baby is."

"All right, dear. Sh-h! Here's Romeo."

Billy subsided. She even clapped a little in spasmodic enthusiasm.
Presently she peered at her program again.

"There wouldn't be time, I suppose, to telephone between the scenes,"
she hazarded wistfully. "There are sixteen of those!"

"Well, hardly! Billy, you aren't paying one bit of attention to the
play!"

"Why, of course I am," whispered Billy, indignantly. "I think it's
perfectly lovely, and I'm perfectly contented, too--since I found
out about those five acts, and as long as I _can't_ have the sixteen
scenes," she added, settling back in her seat.

As if to prove that she was interested in the play, her next whisper,
some time later, had to do with one of the characters on the stage.

"Who's that--the nurse? Mercy! We wouldn't want her for Baby, would we?"

In spite of himself Bertram chuckled this time. Billy, too, laughed at
herself. Then, resolutely, she settled into her seat again.

The curtain was not fairly down on the first act before Billy had laid
an urgent hand on her husband's arm.

"Now, remember; ask if he's waked up, or anything," she directed. "And
be sure to say I'll come right home if they need me. Now hurry."

"Yes, dear." Bertram rose with alacrity. "I'll be back right away."

"Oh, but I don't want you to hurry _too_ much," she called after him,
softly. "I want you to take plenty of time to ask questions."

"All right," nodded Bertram, with a quizzical smile, as he turned away.

Obediently Bertram asked all the question she could think of, then came
back to his wife. There was nothing in his report that even Billy could
disapprove of, or worry about; and with almost a contented look on her
face she turned toward the stage as the curtain went up on the second
act.

"I love this balcony scene," she sighed happily.

Romeo, however, had not half finished his impassioned love-making when
Billy clutched her husband's arm almost fiercely.

"Bertram," she fairly hissed in a tragic whisper, "I've just happened
to think! Won't it be awful when Baby falls in love? I know I shall just
hate that girl for taking him away from me!"

"Sh-h! _Billy!_" expostulated her husband, choking with half-stifled
laughter. "That woman in front heard you, I know she did!"

"Well, I shall," sighed Billy, mournfully, turning back to the stage.

"'Good night, good night! parting is such sweet