view divers
blighters and tell 'em your brother is out and take their names and
addresses and... oh, all that sort of thing."

"Does Fillmore consult you much?"

"He lets me read some of the plays that are sent in. Awful tosh most of
them. Sometimes he sends me off to a vaudeville house of an evening."

"As a treat?"

"To see some special act, you know. To report on it. In case he might
want to use it for this revue of his."

"Which revue?"

"Didn't you know he was going to put on a revue? Oh, rather. A whacking
big affair. Going to cut out the Follies and all that sort of thing."

"But--my goodness!" Sally was alarmed. It was just like Fillmore, she
felt, to go branching out into these expensive schemes when he ought to
be moving warily and trying to consolidate the small success he had had.
All his life he had thought in millions where the prudent man would have
been content with hundreds. An inexhaustible fount of optimism bubbled
eternally within him. "That's rather ambitious," she said.

"Yes. Ambitious sort of cove, your brother. Quite the Napoleon."

"I shall have to talk to him," said Sally decidedly. She was annoyed
with Fillmore. Everything had been going so beautifully, with everybody
peaceful and happy and prosperous and no anxiety anywhere, till he had
spoiled things. Now she would have to start worrying again.

"Of course," argued Ginger, "there's money in revues. Over in London
fellows make pots out of them."

Sally shook her head.

"It won't do," she said. "And I'll tell you another thing that won't do.
This armchair. Of course it ought to be over by the window. You can see
that yourself, can't you."

"Absolutely!" said Ginger, patiently preparing for action once more.

2

Sally's anxiety with regard to her ebullient brother was not lessened by
the receipt shortly afterwards of a telegram from Miss Winch in Chicago.

Have you been feeding Fillmore meat?

the telegram ran: and, while Sally could not have claimed that she
completely understood it, there was a sinister suggestion about
the message which decided her to wait no longer before making
investigations. She tore herself away from the joys of furnishing and
went round to the headquarters of the Fillmore Nicholas Theatrical
Enterprises Ltd. (Managing Director, Fillmore Nicholas) without delay.

Ginger, she discovered on arrival, was absent from his customary post,
his place in the outer office being taken by a lad of ten