It happened that there was a missionary meeting at the church that
evening. All the Christian Endeavorers had been urged to attend. Elizabeth
gave this as an excuse; but the manager quickly swept that away, saying
she could go to church any night, but she could not go to this particular
play with him always. The girl eyed him calmly with much the same attitude
with which she might have pointed her pistol at his head, and said
gravely,

"But I do not want to go with you."

After that the manager hated her. He always hated girls who resisted him.
He hated her, and wanted to do her harm. But he fairly persecuted her to
receive his attentions. He was a young fellow, extremely young to be
occupying so responsible a position. He undoubtedly had business ability.
He showed it in his management of Elizabeth. The girl's life became a
torment to her. In proportion as she appeared to be the manager's favorite
the other girls became jealous of her. They taunted her with the manager's
attentions on every possible occasion. When they found anything wrong,
they charged it upon her; and so she was kept constantly going to the
manager, which was perhaps just what he wanted.

She grew paler and paler, and more and more desperate. She had run away
from one man; she had run away from a woman; but here was a man from whom
she could not run away unless she gave up her position. If it had not been
for her grandmother, she would have done so at once; but, if she gave up
her position, she would be thrown upon her grandmother for support, and
that must not be. She understood from the family talk that they were
having just as much as they could do already to make both ends meet and
keep the all-important god of Fashion satisfied. This god of Fashion had