nd a wholly exquisite warmth flushing her cheeks.

ii

The first interval found the play well advanced. A robbery had been
planned--for it was a "crook" play--and the heroine had already received
wild-eyed the advances of a fur-coated millionaire. When the lights of
the theatre popped up, and members of the orchestra began once more
unmercifully to tune their instruments, it was possible to look round at
the not especially large audience. But in whichever direction Emmy
looked she was always brought back as by a magnet to Alf, who sat
ruminantly beside her. To Alf's sidelong eye Emmy was looking
surprisingly lovely. The tired air and the slightly peevish mouth to
which he was accustomed had given place to the flush and sparkle of an
excited girl. Alf was aware of surprise. He blinked. He saw the lines
smoothed away from round her mouth--the lines of weariness and
dissatisfaction,--and was tempted by the softness of her cheek. As he
looked quickly off again he thought how full Jenny would have been of
comment upon the play, how he would have sat grinning with precious
enjoyment at her merciless gibes during the whole of the interval. He
had the sense of Jenny as all movement, as flashing and drawing him into
quagmires of sensation, like a will-o'-the-wisp. Emmy was not like that.
She sat tremulously smiling, humble before him, diffident, flattering.
She was intelligent: that was it. Intelligent was the word. Not lively,
but restful. Critically he regarded her. Rather a nice girl, Emmy....

Alf roused himself, and looked around.

"Here, miss!" he called; and "S-s-s-s" when she did not hear him. It was
his way of summoning an attendant or a waitress. "S-s-s-s." The
attendant brought chocolates, which Alf handed rather magnificently to
his companion. He plunged into his pockets--in his rough-and-ready,
muscular way--for the money, leaning far over the next seat, which was
unoccupied. "Like some lemon?" he said to Emmy. Together they inspected
the box of chocolates, which contained much imitation-lace paper and a
few sweets. "Not half a sell," grumbled Alf to himself, thinking of the
shilling he had paid; but he looked with gratification at Emmy's face
as she enjoyingly ate the chocolates. As her excitement a little
strained her nervous endurance Emmy began to pale under the eyes; her
eyes seemed to grow larger; she lost the first air of sparkle, but she
became more pathetic. "Poor little thing," thought Alf, feeling
m