Miss Cunningham, has told me; so you see,
I'm pretty well primed as to her antecedents, means, and so on. The girl
has thirty thousand pounds a year if she has a penny. Whew! Only think
what that means in American money. She could buy and sell me."

I might have truthfully replied that the young lady could have had me
without either buying or selling, since--for the first time since my
callow days--these few moments had taught me what it was to experience a
wild quickening of the pulses under the casual glance of a woman's eyes.

She had seen me. So much satisfaction at least was mine. Wildred had
doubtless pointed out his friend, and her gaze had passed on to
me--drawn, perhaps, by the compelling magnetism of the strange new
feeling which dominated me.

Wishing to avoid the appearance of rudeness, I would have looked away,
but I found myself for an instant unable to do so. It was ridiculous to
fancy it, and yet I could not help imagining that the girl's exquisite
face lighted up with an expression akin to interest as her eyes rested
upon mine.

It was for me a moment of intoxication, as I felt that those twin violet
lakes received, full in their depths, the involuntary outpouring of my
soul. A sensation as of being wrenched away from some safe mooring
passed through me as she withdrew her gaze, and, turning her head,
whispered to Lady Tressidy, who sat beside her. The latter then looked
at me, and unhesitatingly put up her sparkling lorgnettes.

Farnham had not failed to observe this little pantomime, and was vastly
amused thereby.

"This is what comes of being a celebrity!" he chuckled. "They've
recognised you from the pictures that were in all the papers a couple of
months ago, or perhaps by the photos that were published when your book
came out."

"Nonsense!" I said, rather irritably. "They're only annoyed, perhaps, at
our staring. Let's turn our attention to the stage."

I set the example which I recommended, but before doing so I gave myself
the indulgence of one more lingering glance, and saw that Carson Wildred
was eyeing me with undisguised interest.

Was I mistaken--was it only the faint emotion awakened by the mention of
a name not quite unknown to the public--or did the man share in my
half-recognition of him?

Whatever the feeling excited by the sound of my name or the sight of my
face, it was certainly not a pleasant one. The one look I ventured
showed me the pale eyes shadowed by a frown, and