anaged to convey the information that he was staying on to Mabel
during the third act. She looked a little astonished; Dick, in the old
days, had been so scornful about young men's stage amusements. Anyway,
it did not affect the party very much, for Mrs. Grant and Mr. Jarvis had
already gone home, and Mabel was giving Dr. English a lift.

"Shall I send the motor back for you?" she asked, just as they moved
away.

Dick shook his head. "Swetenham is going to give me a lift out," he
answered her, and Dr. English chuckled an explanation as they rolled
away.

"What it is to be young, eh, Mrs. Jarvis? One can find beauty even in
the chorus of a travelling company."

But was that the explanation? Mabel wondered. Dick's face had not
looked as if he had found anything beautiful in the performance.

Swetenham and Dick made their way round to the side entrance of the town
hall which acted as stage door on these occasions, after they had seen
the rest of the party off, and Swetenham found someone to take his card
up to Miss Bellairs.

"We might take them out to supper at the 'Grand,'" he suggested, as they
waited about for the answer. "I don't know about the new girl, but Miss
Bellairs is always good fun."

"Yes," agreed Dick half-heartedly. He was already regretting the impulse
which had made him come. What should he do, or how feel or act, when he
really met Joan face to face? His throat seemed ridiculously dry, and he
was conscious of a hot sense of nervousness all over him which made the
atmosphere of the night very oppressive. The boy who had run up with
Swetenham's card came back presently with a message.

"Would the gentlemen come upstairs, Miss Bellairs was just taking off
her make-up."

"Come on," Swetenham whispered to Dick; "Fanny is a caution, she doesn't
mind a bit what sort of state you see her in."

The boy led them up the stairs, through a small door and across what was
evidently the back of the stage. At the foot of some steps on the
further side he came to pause outside a door on which he knocked
violently.

"Come in," Fanny's voice shrilled from inside; "don't mind us."

The boy with a grin threw the door open and indicated with his thumb
that Swetenham and Dick might advance. He winked at them as they passed
him, a fund of malignant impudence in his eyes. The room inside was
small and scattered with a profusion of clothes. Fanny, attired in a
long silk dressing wrap, sat on a low chair by the only