Evening star., 1922-12-31

self In such position that he could
gloat II he wanted to.
He went twice to the ONCE to see Ben
wait but he pleasantly employed the
interval in chatting with Benham's g
pretty secretary. Later. he expressed
to Benham the utter .idiocy Of claiming
that any girI> with face like that
could possess any commercial acumen
whatsoever. Incidentally, he added
that she didn't need 1t.
She's an awfully nice girl. though
said Picard. with his eyes on vacancy.
I'D like to meet her mother"
You'd have to-" said Benhan. after
a pause. and then he remarked. thought
fully: III you're serious. why. I dare
say It could be arranged. You might
even send 'em a couple Of tickets for
your show. II you sent 'em through me
I guess It would be all right"
Accordingly Picard sent the tickets.
and when he went on for the hrst time
Miss Carpenter and her mother were in
front Benham was also in front, to-
friends OF eight years ago. They ap-
plauded him vigorously-once he even
had to take a second bow-and yet after
ward he was vaguely conscious that
somewhere he had missed his oppor-
tunity. He gave the dinner. and his old
friends were highly complimentary-all
but Benham, who was Judicially silent
but Picard's mind was glued to the
morning newspapers. 50 that he made
himself fairly Indifferent host.
The stage director had merely said to
him, You did all right" but the best
Of the morning notices said that Picard's
performance never arose above the
standard OF q stock company, and when
he remembered that for such . COM
ment he had shaved and studied through
the tedium Of eight long years. he wish
ed that he had forgotten his promise
to give the dinner. The only consola-
ton was that he hadn't Dragged to Ben
ham.
He was permitted to call on the Car
penters; and the privilege carried with
it q genuine welcome. He was q gen.
tleman and he was friend Of Mr.. Ben
ham s, and he talked easily and enter
tainingly. They hoped that he would
already begun to chafe because he could
come SO seldom-because Miss Carpen-
ter was busy in the afternoons. while he
himself was busy in the evenings. But
it soon appeared that all three Of them
were fond Of the open country. and dat
ing from that discovery Picard was
radiantiy content He took them. on
those summer Sundays, far up Into the
Mills Of Westchester. where they had
picnics. and disresarded all the no
trespass signs. and Picard and Miss
Carpenter found 1t convenient to call
each other by their first names.
- ~
THEY were the happiest sundays he
i had ever known. but the week days
were increasingly clouded by that
same vague CONSEQUENCES Of something
missed. To be sure, he was drawing his
salary. and he was getting q respectable
number Of laughs. but he was neverths-
less uncomfortable. In the presence Of
his associates he felt curiously like an
alien; he felt as though they regarded
him as q wet blanket upon their own
accomplishments. And while he suf-
fered from this introspection. he was
not at all desirous Of seeing too much
Of his friend Benham.
In the second act he had . tsn.min.
ute wait, and usually he ran up to hia
dressing room for the forbidden cigar
ette, lighting his match. with perversivs
humor. upon the warning placard issued
by the fire commissioner. One evening
however. just as he reached the iron
stairway. the cigarette was suddenly un.
desirable to him. and he cazne bscl
slowly and lurked behind the leg-drop
yawning and waiting. A. he stood
thsrs he murmuring Voices Of tho seaga
A,ractor. and az the leading WOannA