t the Columbia Theater at Cincinnati; he
had nearly split his skull at the Milwaukee Majestic; he had shed his
blood at the Washington Orpheum; and he was going to risk more with his
new invention. No matter, he had now but one idea, to return to England,
in spite of magnificent offers from Australia.

The moment he reached London, he set to work. And he fixed up the whole
apparatus at his leisure, in the shed which he had kept, notwithstanding
the expense: a sort of large hall in which he had already rehearsed his
"Bridging the Abyss." Here, with a couple of confidential assistants who
had traveled with him in America, he worked from morning till night,
correcting, revising, improving, in the midst of stretched cords and nets.
And then came his interview with Harrasford, his engagement at the
Astrarium, his meeting with Lily, in the dressing-room passage....

And it was untrue! What they had said about her was a lie! Lily had not
fallen! Jimmy, merely at that moment's sight of her, would have sworn it
in the face of the whole world: the tales about Lily, due probably to
professional boasting on her own part,--were false! He knew it, because he
had seen her magnificent anger and the flash from her chaste eyes. And he
would give Lily that joy--he owed at least as much as that to his dead
love--and he would see that it was all right. It would not be a question
of:

"Pa, I can't!"

"But you've got to, my little lady!"

She would have to dare of her own accord, with a will of adamant, and Lily
would do it, Jimmy was sure of that. He had found the partner wanted for
his success and he rejoiced to the bottom of his heart as he led Lily to
the stage of the Astrarium.

Lily, on the other hand, felt an anxiety which made her sides ache and her
heart beat:

"What on earth can it be?" she asked herself.

But, whatever it was, she would do it if it cost her her skin! And Lily
did not even take the stage oath, so sincere and spontaneous was her
resolve.

"I'll show you, Lily," said Jimmy, seeing her look at the hall and the
opening in the ceiling as she passed. "It's a new trick."

"Yes," said Lily, "new: it'll be like the last, they'll take it from you
as soon as it's out. It's like me, the tricks which Pa invented and which
the fat freaks cribbed from me. Tricks are always copied, you know they
are," continued Lily, who trembled at the thought of seeing others beside
herself topping the bill with that.

"You needn't