"Nor from any one else in the world," Elizabeth murmured fervently.

Then followed the wonderful evening. Philip found Beatrice alone in the
stage box when he returned from taking Elizabeth to her dressing-room.

"Where's Martha?" he asked.

"Faithless," Beatrice replied. "She is in the stalls down there with a
young man from the box office. She said you'd understand."

"A serious affair?" Philip ventured.

Beatrice nodded.

"They are engaged. I had tea with them yesterday."

"We shall have to do something for you, Beatrice, soon," he remarked
cheerfully.

A very rare gravity settled for a moment upon her face.

"I wonder, Philip," she said simply. "I thought, a little time ago, it
would be easy enough to care for the right sort of person. Perhaps I am
not really quite so rotten as I thought I was. Here comes Elizabeth.
Let's watch her."

They both leaned a little forward in the box, Philip in a state of
beatific wonder, which turned soon to amazement when, at Elizabeth's
first appearance, the house suddenly rose, and a torrent of applause