ina is very economical. I hope you
won't think I am treating you ill in leaving you to yourselves--"

"Why, Leo, you have given up the whole day to me!" Nina exclaimed.

"You gave up many an afternoon to me, Nina," he rejoined, "when I
sprained my ankle down at that confounded Castello Dell' Ovo."

The ordeal that the _debutante_ had now to undergo was, of course, made
remarkably easy for her through the intervention of this good friend of
hers. When they got down to the theatre they went at once on to the
stage, where Nina found herself in the midst of an old-fashioned English
village, with a gayly bedecked Maypole just behind her, while in front
of her was the great, gaunt, empty, musty-smelling building, filled with
a dim twilight, though, also, there were here and there one or two
orange-points of gas. Lionel sent a messenger to the manager's office,
and also told him to ask if Mr. Carey had come; then he opened Nina's
roll of music for her, and began to discuss with her which piece she
should choose. Fortunately Mr. Lehmann had not yet left--here he was--a
stout, clean-shaven, sharp-eyed sort of person, in a frock-coat and a
remarkably shiny hat; he glanced at the young lady in what she
considered a very rude and unwarrantable manner, but the fact was he was
merely, from a business point of view, trying to guess what her figure
was like. Lionel explained all the circumstances of the case to him,
and gave it as his own confident opinion that, as soon as they had heard
Mlle. Rossi sing, there would be little doubt of her being engaged. At
the same moment Mr. Carey appeared--a tall, blond, extremely handsome
person of the fashion-plate sort; and, at a word from the manager, two
or three scene-shifters went and wheeled on to the stage a small upright
piano.

Nina did not seem at all disconcerted by their business-like air and
want of little formal politenesses. Quite calmly she took out "Caro nome
" from her music and handed it to the conductor, who was at the piano.
He glanced at the sheet, appeared a little surprised, but struck the
opening chords for her. Then Nina sang; and though for a second or two
the sound of her own voice in this huge, empty building seemed
strange--seemed wrong almost and unnatural--she had speedily recovered
confidence, and was determined she would bring no discredit upon her
friend Leo. Very well indeed she sang, and Lionel was delighted; while,
of course, Mr. Carey was professionally in