ampy, Mrs. Trampy"--and who could be drawing attention to her in that
rotten lot? Was Trampy there, by any chance, pointing his finger at her?
She felt inclined to go back to them, to tell them in two words what she
thought of them. Mrs. Trampy, indeed! It was not for long, in any case.
Her divorce was not far off!

In the evening, at the theater, she forgot her bothers, as usual. The day,
for that matter, was quite an ordinary one: it was the typical day, the
trot, trot, trot, of the star alone, in search of engagements. And,
thoroughly tired, in her dressing-room, she related in her own way the
adventures which she had had since the morning, the compliments on her
beauty; and at the agents', my! If she had liked, she could have filled up
her three years' book! The architect came in her dressing-room for a
moment: so interesting a Lily! so amusing, he thought, as funny, in her
way, as Light of Asia, the Chinese girl without arms. Sitting on the big
trunk, he admired by turns Lily and the disorderly dressing-table, its
cracked looking-glass, scribbled over with names, and, under the glaring
light, the grease-paints--red, white, black--the powder-puffs and hare's
feet, the biscuits in the tray among the hair-pins, a bottle and glasses
beside the powder-box. From nails on the whitewashed walls, scratched all
over with inscriptions, covered with penciled dates, hung rainbow skirts,
bodices with metallic flowers. The bike shone in a corner, half-buried
under Lily's outdoor clothes. Tights hung beside it, like pink skins, gold
spangles strewed the uncarpeted floor and scent hovered over
everything.... Half-open doors admitted gusts of music from the orchestra;
and Lily, opposite the glass, fumbled among her pots with the tip of her
finger, stained her lips blood-red, fixed the rebellious curl to her
forehead with a touch of gum. Outside, in the passage, was the row of
doors, with spy-holes and visiting cards, half-sheets of paper, stuck down
with wafers and bearing the names of the various occupants:

"Prof. X. The Famous X. Family. Absolutely the best."

There were others "absolutely the best."

On Lily's door, her card--"Miss Lily"--and, under that, modestly:

"And maid."

Lily revived amid these surroundings; here she forgot her fatigue,
blossomed out to her heart's delight. With her rainbow dress, her feathers
and her pearl pendants, combined with her elaborate gestures as she made
up her face in front of the gollyw