much I'll make out of my play!"

"More than I shall make out of my novel," Henry answered. His talks with
Mr. Redder had modified Henry's ideas of the profits made by novelists.

Gilbert started up from the low chair into which he had thrown himself.
"I'm going to start on another play this minute!" he said. "My head's
simply humming with ideas!" He stopped half way to the door, and turned
towards Henry again. "You were working when I came in," he said. "What
are you doing?"

"I've started another novel," Henry answered.

"Oh! Done much of it?"

"No, only the title. I'm calling it 'Broken Spears.'"

"Damn good title, too," said Gilbert.

3

The book was published long before Gilbert's play was produced; for Sir
Geoffrey Mundane had taken fright at Gilbert's play. He was afraid that
it was too clever, too original, too much above their heads, and so
forth. "I'd like to produce it," he said. "I'd regard it as an honour to
be allowed to produce it, but the Pall Mall is a very expensive theatre
to maintain and I don't mind telling you, Mr. Farlow, that I lost money
on that last piece, too much money, and I must retrieve some of it. Your
play is excellent ... excellent ... in fact, it's a piece of literature
... almost Greek in its form ... Greek ... yes, I think, Greek ...
remarkable plays those were, weren't they? ... Have you seen this
portrait of me in to-day's _Daily Reflexion_ ... quite jolly, I think
... but it won't be popular, Mr. Farlow, and I must put on something
that is likely to be popular!"

Gilbert found Sir Geoffrey's sudden changes of conversation curiously
interesting, but the hint of disaster to "The Magic Casement" disturbed
him too much to let his interest absorb him.

"Then you've decided not to do the play?" he said, with a throb of
disappointment in his voice.

Sir Geoffrey rose at him, fixing his eye-glass, and patted him on the
shoulder. "No, _no_," he said. "I didn't mean _that_. I'll produce the
play gladly ... some day ... but not just at present. If you care to
leave it with me...."

Gilbert wondered what he ought to say next. Sir Geoffrey might retain
the play for a year or two, and then decide that he could not produce
it.

"Perhaps," he said, "you'd undertake to do it within a certain time...."
He wanted to add that Sir Geoffrey should undertake to pay a fine if he
failed to produce the play within the "certain time," but his courage
was not strong enough. He was afraid th