wonderful?"

"And has Merrihew told you to get a return ticket before you sail?" with
half a jest.

"Don't you think it will be successful?" a shade of disappointment.
"There will be thousands of lonesome Americans over there. Out of
patriotism, if for nothing else, they ought to come and see us."

"They certainly ought to. But I'm an old killjoy."

"No, no; go on and tell me all your doubts. You have been over there so
many times."

"Well, supposing your tourists are tired, after having walked all day
through the churches and galleries? They may want to go to bed early.
But you never can tell till you try. You may become the rage on the
continent. Yet, you go into the enemy's country. It isn't the same as
going to London, among tolerant cousins. In Italy and in Germany there
is always so much red tape, blundering, confusing red tape, custom
duties, excessive charges. But your manager must know what he is doing."

"He has everything in black and white, I believe. But your advice is
sensible."

"Do you know anything about Italy or Germany?"

"Only what I learned in my geographies," laughing. "Rome, Florence,
Genoa, Venice, Nice, Milan, Strasburg, Cologne, and on to Berlin! It is
like a fairy story come true."

"Who is your prima donna?" he asked.

"Ah!" Kitty's face became eager with excitement. "Now you have put your
finger on the mystery that is bothering us all. Not one of us has seen
her or knows her name. She has not rehearsed with us and will not till
we reach Naples, where we rest a week. When we speak of her, the manager
smiles and says nothing; and as none of us has seen the backer, Mr.
Worth thinks that she herself is the prima donna and backer in one. We
think that she is some rich young woman who wishes to exploit her voice.
There's a lot of them in the world. I wish I knew her. I am dying of
curiosity. The manager is not a man to fool away his time. She doubtless
can act and sing. Little has been said about the venture in the papers,
and I'm glad. We may prove a perfect fizzle, and the less said the
better. As we can't walk back, I must learn to swim.... Lunch is ready,
every one!"

The mummers and the outsiders flocked into the small dining-room. There
was plenty to eat--beer, soda, whisky, and two magnums of champagne,
Merrihew's contribution to the feast. Hillard listened with increasing
amusement to the shop-talk. Such and such a person (absent) never could
act; such and such a composer (a