ankly exulted. It even seemed to her that never
at any time had she felt any doubts about the fate of the opera. From
the first its triumph had been a foregone conclusion. From the abysses
she floated up to the peaks and far above them.

"Oh, Alston, it's too wonderful!" she exclaimed. "If only there were
someone to applaud!"

"There'll be a crowd in a few days."

"How glorious! How I long to see them, the dear thousands shouting for
Claude. I must go to Adelaide Shiffney. I must catch her before she
goes. There can't be two opinions. An act like that is irresistible.
Oh!"

She almost rushed out of the box.

In the stalls she came upon Mrs. Shiffney and Jonson Ramer who were
standing up ready to go. A noise of departure came up from the hidden
orchestra. Voices were shouting behind the scenes. In a moment the
atmosphere of the vast theater seemed to have entirely changed. Night
and the deadness of slumber seemed falling softly, yet heavily, about
it. The musicians were putting their instruments into cases and bags. A
black cat stole furtively unseen along a row of stalls, heading away
from Charmian.

"So you actually stayed to the end!" Charmian said.

Her eyes were fastened on Mrs. Shiffney.

"Oh, yes. We couldn't tear ourselves away, could we, Mr. Ramer?"

"No, indeed!"

"The last act is the best of all," Mrs. Shiffney said.

"Yes, isn't it?" said Charmian.

There was a slight pause. Then Ramer said:

"I must really congratulate you, Mrs. Heath. I don't know your husband
unfortunately, but--"

"Here he is!" said Charmian.

At this moment Claude came toward them, holding himself, she thought,
unusually upright, almost like a man who has been put through too much
drill. With a determined manner, and smiling, he came up to them.

"I feel almost ashamed to have kept you here to this hour," he said to
Mrs. Shiffney. "But really for a rehearsal it didn't go so badly, did
it?"

"Wonderfully well we thought. Mr. Ramer wants to congratulate you."

She introduced the two men to one another.

"Yes, indeed!" said Ramer. "It's a most interesting work--most
interesting." He laid a heavy emphasis on the repeated words, and
glanced sideways at Mrs. Shiffney, whose lips were fixed in a smile.
"And how admirably put on!"

He ran on for several minutes with great self-possession.

"Miss Mardon is quite wonderful!" said Mrs. Shiffney, when he stopped.

And she talked rapidly for some minutes, touching on vari