t to read it.
White with fear, could she have sprung through the window and fled, she
would have done so.

"Well," Pa went on apace, growing more and more excited, "is all this
true? All that they tell me: about your receiving letters, post-cards,
jewelry ... and that ring! I've seen it! You're going to marry Trampy, are
you? Oh, the man who writes to me knows all about it, saw you with him at
the corner of Oxford Street and Newman Street. Is that true, miss? What
did you have to tell him, pray? Speak out!"

Lily, terror-stricken, could only droop her head.

"It's true then that you want to get married, you baggage!"

"Pa!" cried Lily.

But he, with an "Ah!" of rage, sprang upon her, clutched her mass of hair,
banged her head against the wall:

"On your knees! Say, 'I--beg--your--par--don--'"

And, Bang! Bang! Bang! The phrase was punctuated with thumps.

"Oh, Clifton," implored Ma, "stop! Not so hard!"

"Beg--par--don! Beg--par--don!" continued Pa, without relenting.

Lily was half-stunned, the world throbbed before her eyes, and, delirious
with wrath, she hissed:

"Never!"

"But I say, I say you shall not marry him! I'll kill you first!"

"Yes, I will marry him, yes, yes, I will marry him! kill me, if you like!
God is my witness that I had not thought of getting married, but, as you
say so, I will!"

His fist closed her mouth. She clasped her arms about her head, to protect
herself as best she could, but soon sank to the floor, fainting....

For three days she was in bed, broken, dazed--then, no sooner on her feet,
than off to the theater, guarded by Pa and Ma. If they could, they would
have padlocked a chain to her ankle and a collar about her neck. Ma
chilled Lily with her scornful pity, or racked her with repeated insults:

"A disgrace to the family! You'll be the death of us!"

She would shower cuffs upon Lily, throw books at her head, or whatever
came readiest to hand. Lily hid the books, the umbrellas, shrank into
corners, longing to cry; but the tears refused to come. She was too angry.
And, with head down, but eyes alert, she crouched like a dog rebelling
under blows, with lips drawn back above her teeth, ready to bite.

"I'm going out, or I'll kill her!" growled Pa, slamming the door behind
him.

Pa was thoroughly upset: for Lily to leave him! Just when Hauptmann was
starting a fifth troupe; when Pawnee was drawing full houses with his
three stars; when competition was increasing and th