g gentleman who will become an
incurable invalid and want nursing. And I shall hate him so much that I
can't be happy with him, and pity him so much that I can't run away from
him."

Mrs. Morgan sniffed her disagreement.

"There are things that happen----" she began.

"Not to me--not miracles, anyway," said Lydia, still smiling, "and I
don't know that I want to get married. I've got to pay all these bills
first, and by the time they are settled I'll be a grey-haired old lady
in a mob cap."

Lydia had finished her tea and was standing somewhat scantily attired in
the middle of her bedroom, preparing for her theatre engagement, when
Mrs. Morgan returned.

"I forgot to tell you, miss," she said, "there was a gentleman and a
lady called."

"A gentleman and a lady? Who were they?"

"I don't know, Miss Beale. I was lying down at the time, and the girl
answered the door. I gave her strict orders to say that you were out."

"Did they leave any name?"

"No, miss. They just asked if Miss Beale lived here, and could they see
her."

"H'm!" said Lydia with a frown. "I wonder what we owe them!"

She dismissed the matter from her mind, and thought no more of it until
she stopped on her way to the theatre to learn from the office by
telephone the number of drawings required.

The chief sub-editor answered her.

"And, by the way," he added, "there was an inquiry for you at the office
to-day--I found a note of it on my desk when I came in to-night. Some
old friends of yours who want to see you. Brand told them you were going
to do a show at the Erving Theatre to-night, so you'll probably see
them."

"Who are they?" she asked, puzzled.

She had few friends, old or new.

"I haven't the foggiest idea," was the reply.

At the theatre she saw nobody she knew, though she looked round
interestedly, nor was she approached in any of the _entr'actes_.

In the row ahead of her, and a little to her right, were two people who
regarded her curiously as she entered. The man was about fifty, very
dark and bald--the skin of his head was almost copper-coloured, though
he was obviously a European, for the eyes which beamed benevolently upon
her through powerful spectacles were blue, but so light a blue that by
contrast with the mahogany skin of his clean-shaven face, they seemed
almost white.

The girl who sat with him was fair, and to Lydia's artistic eye,
singularly lovely. Her hair was a mop of fine gold. The colour was
natura