dies?--where are they?' he said, panting, and
looking round him in despair; for they had vanished, and the
stage-entrance was blocked by an outgoing stream of people.

'Don't know anything about them,' said the man, sulkily. Fenwick had
been the plague of his life in rehearsals. 'What?--you mean those two
girls? Never saw 'em before.'

'But you must know who they are--you must!' shouted Fenwick. 'What's
their name? Why did you let them go?'

'Because I had finished with them.'

The manager turned on his heel, and was about to give an order to a
workman, when Fenwick caught him by the arm.

'I implore you,' he said, in a shaking voice, his face crimson--'tell
me who they are--and where they went.'

The man looked at him astonished, but something in the artist's face
made him speak more considerately.

'I am extremely sorry, Mr. Fenwick, but I really know nothing about
them. Oh, by the way'--he fumbled in his pocket. 'Yes--one of them did
give me a card--I forgot--I never saw the name before.' He extracted
it with difficulty and handed it to Fenwick, who stood trembling from
head to foot.

Fenwick looked at it.

'Miss Larose.' Nothing else. No address.

'But the other one!--the other one!' he said, beside himself.

'I never spoke to her at all,' said his companion, whose name was
Fison. 'They came in here twenty minutes ago and asked to see me. The
door-keeper told them the rehearsal was just over and they would find
me on the stage. The lady I was talking to wished to know whether we
had all the people we wanted for the ballroom scene. Some friend with
whom she had been acting in the country had advised her to apply--'

'Acting _where_?' said Fenwick, still gripping him.

The stage-manager rubbed his nose in perplexity.

'I really can't remember. Leeds--Newcastle--Halifax--was it? It's
altogether escaped my memory.'

'For God's sake, remember!' cried Fenwick.

The stage-manager shook his head.

'I really didn't take notice. I liked the young lady very well. We got
on, as you may say, at once. I talked to her while you were discussing
over there. But I had to tell her there was no room for her--and no
more there is. Her sister--or her friend--whichever it was--was an
uncommonly pretty girl. I noticed that as she went out--which reminds
me--she asked me to tell her who you were.'

Fenwick gazed at the speaker in passionate despair.

'And you can't tell me any more--can't help me?' His voice rose aga