"She IS funny," said Mrs. Alsager, musingly; and presently she added:
"She's in love with you."

Wayworth stared, blushed very red, then laughed out. "What is there
funny in that?" he demanded; but before his interlocutress could
satisfy him on this point he inquired, further, how she knew anything
about it. After a little graceful evasion she explained that the
night before, at the "Legitimate," Mrs. Beaumont, the wife of the
actor-manager, had paid her a visit in her box; which had happened,
in the course of their brief gossip, to lead to her remarking that
she had never been "behind." Mrs. Beaumont offered on the spot to
take her round, and the fancy had seized her to accept the
invitation. She had been amused for the moment, and in this way it
befell that her conductress, at her request, had introduced her to
Miss Violet Grey, who was waiting in the wing for one of her scenes.
Mrs. Beaumont had been called away for three minutes, and during this
scrap of time, face to face with the actress, she had discovered the
poor girl's secret. Wayworth qualified it as a senseless thing, but
wished to know what had led to the discovery. She characterised this
inquiry as superficial for a painter of the ways of women; and he
doubtless didn't improve it by remarking profanely that a cat might
look at a king and that such things were convenient to know. Even on
this ground, however, he was threatened by Mrs. Alsager, who
contended that it might not be a joking matter to the poor girl. To
this Wayworth, who now professed to hate talking about the passions
he might have inspired, could only reply that he meant it couldn't
make a difference to Mrs. Alsager.

"How in the world do you know what makes a difference to ME?" this
lady asked, with incongruous coldness, with a haughtiness indeed