s realizing her wilfulness completely, and instead of repenting
and turning back to confess her folly, was every moment trying to plan
by what method her purpose could be accomplished.

Not for anything in the world would her mother give her consent to her
experiment. And that in itself should have been a sufficient argument
against it. Yet Polly explained to herself that, after all, there
could not be any great harm in doing what she so much wished, provided
that she made confession afterwards. She was almost eighteen, and
thousands of girls in New York City were earning their living, who were
years younger than she. Perhaps it might even do her good to find out
what this stage life really was like--whether it was as fascinating as
she dreamed, or all tinsel as most grown people were so fond of telling
her.

No, the question that was uppermost with Polly O'Neill was not in
connection with her decision. It was how her decision might best be
carried out.

Fortunately she had been writing that she did not believe that she
would come home for the Christmas holidays. She did wish to see her
mother and Mollie and Betty, of course, and had almost given way to
this longing only an hour before. But now, had not fate itself
intervened, flinging her into the path of her desire? And Polly was
Irish and had always declared that she believed in the leadings of
fate, even when her mother and sister had insisted that fate and her
own wish were too often confused in her mind.

Had she not hidden herself in the corner when the theatrical manager
entered the room, with every intention of running away as soon as she
could escape unobserved? And then had he not suddenly swooped down
upon her, selecting her from the dozens of other applicants? Polly was
not exactly sure of what had happened, except that the man had said
that she looked the part of the character he was after. The fact that
she had confessed having had no stage experience had not even deterred
him. The new play was to be chiefly for young people and the manager
particularly required youthful actors and actresses.

The play to be produced was the dramatization of a wonderful old
Bohemian fairy story, which Polly remembered to have read years before,
called "The Castle of Life." The story is that of a little boy,
Grazioso, brought up by his grandmother, whom he loves better than all
else in the world. Then one day he sees that the grandmother is
growing old