Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-05
CHAPTER V.

| it seems to me that strong speech of
( Lemaire's coming so closely upon Miri-
ANS denunciation takes tho ginger out
/ of Miss Stones lines. Tone that down
Murray. or hold it back bit"
/ The rehearsal Of The Worlds Way"
was on. Raw gaslight flooded the stage
and showed the auditorium beyond, a
| shadowy pit that echoed every word.
| Tom stood near the manager, the prompt
| book in his hand. interlining it with new
| suggestions for stage business and some
| times altering Il line to be more effective
He was accustomed to the theatre by
this time. For two weeks he had been
coming and going. spending much of his
time among scene painters and holding
long interviews with the manager. He
no longer felt resentful at hearing the
text slurred ut rehearsals and only the
cues given with distinctneSs. He was
accustomed to seeing the players go
through the business like automatons,
and climaxes his heart had stood still in
creating arranged with mechanical cx-
actneSS.
The skeleton of the players craft
without the simulated passion and hui
mor-the hardship and disillusion, were
all familiar now.
The days wero too short for all he
found to do. and sometimes it was past
midnight before he thought of returning
| to Chelsea square.
The interrupted avowal of his love to
| Virginia had not been finished. But in
a vague, happy way she understood that
even that must remain abeyant to the
success of his play.
Outlines the thought that it might
fail gave him soul sickness that i'm
FILTERED his food and kept sleep away.
1t was not enough TO hear it praised and
feel its reality himself. The final YER
dict must come from the crowd, the
vague mass called the public, depending
upon its mood What this would be
who could foretell? He heard on every
hand of plays teeming with promise that
| had gone down like ships at sea with
| flags flying and cargoes of gems on
board, Of others of only doubtful value
that had made fortunes and established
reputatiuns.
| Doubt left him no peace, and the first
night of The Worlds Way" found him
with every sense quivering and alert
Behind the scenes the air was freighted
with fever. Everybody was Whispering,
peeping. Specializing except Tom, ami
he leaned against one of the wings wait
inE. He could do no more. Opallike
| CLEANS of excitement tiickered in his
/ eyes. nervous tremors ran through his
/ blood, and behind an easy smile his teeth
were GARehed. He could not breathe
freely until the first act was over.
Five minutes before the curtain went
J. !
and looked eagerly at the upper right
hand box. He saw Mr.. Kent first, stand
ing we'll in front ltiSurely surveying the
house through an opera glass us famil-
iarly rs If boxes on first nights were
/ quito everyday matters.
\ little more in shadow sat Virginia.
tonl scarcely knew her i'll tho new gray
gown and the featherei hat with bent
rim. How pretty she was! Happiness
WIS tonic that had softeusd every
curve Of her face. Her eyes, dllated TO
starry radiance, rested Greanuly on the
still UndrGwn curtain Her cheeks were
burning pink.
y tenderness swept over his heart, and
the thought OF all she was To him rose
triumphant above every other feeling.
Was il not good TO know that one in
that crowded house was thinking with
| tenderness of him. not as the new dram
| Gtist making bid for fame, but just as
Tom" whose every hope was at stake?
| Perhaps rs they went h3me he might
whisper those three words that hold i'm
prisoned i'll their small circle the har-
mony of the world, He might tell her
| in the crowded car, or for Il moment be
-, Ill l., /
not how or where if only he received in
/ a word the assurance of the belief that
! she loved him.
| The first few moments following the
/ tinkle of the bell he never remembered
! clearly. Save for the rustic ef the
( prompter's book there was absolute 81
lencs behind the scenes. Tho house was
as still, On the hush voices swept to
/ him speaking the words he knew by
heart. The music commenced family
! like the distant sob of waveS--a swaying
melody painful and sweet. Tom dared
to lift his eyes and watch the scene;
then by degrees tho painful sense of
trepidation left him. for this was the
pregnant action he had dreamed Of
These were the words fire laden, scorch-
ing, hving-the passion that had put
on the garb of reality-the humor. sweet,
surprising and irresistible. Sometimes s
I gust of laughter swept over the house,
intermittent applause that showed crit
ical appreciation. or dead, absorbed ST
( leuceS.
But when the curtain fell sound
like thunderbolt leaped across the
foothghts and made the scenery quake.
1t sank only 10 revive again, its clamol
swelling like 4 storm at its culmina
ton. All, then he seemed lifted up. The
sound made him sick with delight His
hour had struck.
The players stood around him, flush
ed, triumphant group
Its go"
"A hit"
Went swimmingly. Every line told
| never played TO a warmer house"
Words like these and the persisten
applause followed him down the mar
row passage to the street. He wanted
to feel alone for u little while the rap
ture of triumph. They lied who sait
that hope was a fallacy, life failure
The world had widened and grown s.
fair. The years teemed with rosy pos
sibilities, mystic, reckoning. His hear
was full with rush of joy.
1t seemed to him there never was
fairer night than this, which marked tn
first important ascent in his life. Eros
b. glittered on the pavements like pal
dust. The rays of the moon blanche'
) window panes into squares of pearl an
sketched the outlines of chimneys an
doorposts in fanciful black angles.
\, As he strobe along his blood tingle
in the seductive confusion of n drear
where passion and triumph walked han
in hand. Virginia-he loved her sol Sh
B. was so necessary to him. He would max
up for all she suffered now. All, woul
hn rnf9 II Nvnn,ll ha sweet to lnvis