on this play, and
it would sell him out to Weiner too," answered Mr. Vandeford, as he very
gently but determinedly took the white arms from around his neck and
refused the pillow of the storming breast.

"Dennis Farraday?" Violet asked, and Mr. Vandeford shot a quick glance
of question at her as he felt the tautening of the muscles in the white
arms that he had in his grasp of untangling. "You are not going to trim
him, are you?"

"No, not if you make a hit in 'The Purple Slipper,' answered Mr.
Vandeford, as he gave her another appraising glance while he lit a
cigarette.

"Has he read the play?"

"He's putting his money on Hawtry in a play of Vandeford's selecting and
producing," was the slap administered with the soft drawl. And as he
slapped he watched the reaction.

"What did you do with that copy of the play that fellow Dolph sent out
this morning?" was what he got with an entire change of purpose in the
beautiful, stormy face that had calmed in an instant.

"It's in your room on the table by your bed," answered Mr. Vandeford, as
he rose, stretched, yawned and in other ways indicated his desire for
sleep in the primitive manner that a man uses in the bosom of his
family.

"I'm going to read it if you don't mind," the Violet said with a smile
of pleasure instead of the frown of anger which had so lately rested on
her fair face. Mr. Vandeford laughed inwardly; she was about as
transparent as a very young kitten in its eagerness for a saucer of
cream.

"Good girl," answered Godfrey, as together they entered the dark house.
Together they climbed the steps, and with a kiss executed by the Violet
he left her to turn into the door of her room while he went on to his
just beyond.

Out of her sight the lazy, care-free manner left his lithe body, and in
an instant every muscle stiffened to action. The smoulder of anger in
his eyes blazed. He looked at his watch.

"Thirty-five minutes to catch that eleven-fifteen train to town. Never
again. I'm done!" he murmured and looked about him at his belongings
strewn around his room. "I'll send Dolph out to pack to-morrow. A jump
into tweeds and a sprint down the beach will make it."

And after vigorously suiting his actions to his words for twenty minutes
he was running swiftly down the beach well ahead of the time of the
eleven-fifteen train. Just as the headlight cast a red ray down the long
track he stepped on the platform and in ten seconds more he was being
whirl