e Halls, and
was an instantaneous success, and Charles, in a fit of jealousy, wrote
an unfortunately spiteful attack on the German producer, accusing him
of stealing his ideas. Sir Henry, a born publicist, was enraged, and
threatened to abandon his project. The proper line to take was to
welcome the German product and, with an appropriate reference to
Perkins and aniline dyes, to point bashfully to what London could
do.... He was so furious with Charles that he shut himself up in the
aquarium and refused to call rehearsals.

Clara saw him and he reproached her,--

'Why did you bring that dreadful man into my beautiful theatre? He has
upset everybody from Gillies to the call-boy, and now he has made us a
laughing-stock, and this impresario person is in a position to say that
we are jealous. We artists have to hold together or the business men
will bowl us out like a lot of skittles, and where will the theatre be
then?... Where would you be, my dear? They'd make you take off your
clothes and run about the stage with a lot of other young women, and
call that--art.... The theatre is either a temple or it is in Western
Civilisation what the slave-market is in the East. This damned fool of
yours can't see anything outside his own scenery. He thinks he is more
important than me; but is a bookbinder more important than John
Galsworthy?'

'You mustn't be so angry. Nobody takes Charles seriously except in his
work. Everybody expects him to do silly things. You can easily put it
right with a dignified letter.'

'But I can't say my own scene-painter is a confounded idiot.'

'You needn't mention him,' said Clara. 'Just say how much you admire
the German production and talk about the renaissance of the theatre.'

Sir Henry pettishly took pen and paper, wrote a letter, and handed it
to her.

'Will that do?' he asked.

She read it, approved, and admired its adroitness. There were
compliments to everybody and Charles was not mentioned.

'These things _are_ important,' said Sir Henry. 'The smooth running of
the preliminary advertising is half the battle. It gives you your
audiences for the first three weeks, and it inspires confidence in the
Press. That is most important.... I really was within an ace of
throwing the whole thing up. Lady Butcher would like nothing better.'

'I think Verschoyle would be offended if you did.'

'Ah! Verschoyle....' Sir Henry looked suspiciously at her. Though he
wanted t