arguing
with servants. You may go!"

Sweet cookie!

The poor kid looks like he'd stopped one with his chin and for the
first time since I'd seen him, he straightens up with his hard, white
face fairly quiverin'. I thought he was ready for a peach of a
come-back, but he fooled me. He walks off without a word.

Miss Devine laughs like a kid with a new rattle and snaps her fingers
after him.

The next day, Duke is directin' a scene in a big thriller they're
puttin' on and Miss Devine is appearin' in it as a super at his orders.
She's wearin' enough jewels to free Ireland and she looked better than
1912 would look to Germany. Adams is standin' on one side with his
arms full of De Vronde's different changes.

Duke looks at Miss Devine for a minute and then raises his voice.

"Say--you!" he bawls at her. "What's the matter, can't you hear? You
made that exit wrong four times runnin', d'ye think we get this film
for nothin'? What d'ye mean by comin' here and ruinin' this scene on
me, eh? You wanna be a movie star, they tell me--well, you got the
same chance that I have of bein' made Sultan of Turkey! If you can
act, I'm King of Shantung! Why--"

Miss Devine gasps and looks more than ever like a rose, by turnin' a
deep and becomin' shade of red. Nobody pays any attention to the
thing. They'd all heard it a million times before, when Duke was
rehearsin' supers.

Nobody but Adams!

He drops all of De Vronde's clothes right on the floor, and I thought
the fair Edmund would faint away dead! Adams walks right through the
camera men up to Duke and swings him around while he's still bawlin'
out Miss Devine.

"That's enough!" he snarls, white to the ears. "One more word to this
lady, and I'll knock you down! You hound--you wouldn't dare use that
language to a man!"

Duke's eyes sparkle, but he looks Adams over coolly and sneers.

"Curse you, Jack Dalton!" he says. "Unhand that woman, or you shall
feel my power, eh?" He sticks his chin close to Adams's face. "Take
the air!" he growls. "Where d'ye get that leadin' man stuff? If I see
you around here any more this afternoon, I'll fire you and you'll walk
home for all the money you'll draw from this man's firm. Now, beat it!"

Adams hesitates a minute, and then he looks like on second thought he's
scared at what he's done. He mumbles somethin' and walks right outa
the picture, nor even turnin' when De Vronde squawks at him for walkin'
over his silk