mad about him, says
he's on the way to be the best boom-center that ever made a publicity
agent feel young. I'm proud of him! And he's moving all the time. He'll
get there and no mistake!"

"I always knew Claude would rise to his chance if he got it," she said.

"He's got it now, don't you worry yourself. Not one man in a million has
such a chance at his age. I tell you, Claude is a made man!"

A made man! Charmian felt a thrill at her heart. But again she longed
for a verdict from outside, for a verdict from Mrs. Shiffney.

In the midst of the tumult of her life one day, very soon after the
lunch at Sherry's, she begged Susan Fleet to come to see her. That day
Claude and she had been with Gillier at the theater. As they had ignored
Mrs. Shiffney's treachery in the affair of the libretto, so they had
ignored Gillier's insulting behavior to them at Djenan-el-Maqui. Against
his will he was with them now in the great enterprise. They had resolved
to be charming to him, and had taken care to be so. And Gillier,
delighted with the notoriety that was his, his conceit decked out with
feathers, met them half-way. He was impressed by the situation which
Crayford's powerful efforts had created for them. He was moved by the
marked change in Claude. These people did not seem to him the same
husband and wife he had known in the hidden Arab house at Mustapha. They
had gained immeasurably in importance. Comment rained upon them.
Conflict swirled about them. Expectations centered upon them. And they
had the air of those upon whose footsteps the goddess, Success, is
following. Gillier began to lose his regret for his lost opportunity. He
was insensibly drawn to the Heaths by the spell of united effort. Now
that Claude did not seem to care twopence for him, or for anyone else,
Gillier began to respect him, to think a good deal of him. In Charmian
he had always been aware of certain faculties which often make for
success.

On the day when Charmian was expected to see Susan Fleet she had just
come from an afternoon rehearsal which had gone well. Gillier had been
almost savagely delighted with the performance of Enid Mardon, who sang
and acted the role of the heroine. He knew little of music, but in the
scene rehearsed Claude had introduced a clever imitation, if not an
exact reproduction, of the songs of Said Hitani and his companions.
This had aroused the enthusiasm of Gillier, who had a curious love of
the country where he had spen