quickly, and said, with an effort to speak quietly and
unconcernedly: "If the little girl is not on in this act,
would you mind if I took her home? I have a cab at the stage
door, and she's so sleepy it seems a pity to keep her up. The
sister you spoke of or some one could put her to bed."

"Yes," the woman said, doubtfully, "Ada's home. Yes, you
can take her around, if you want to."

She gave him the address, and he sprang down to the
floor, and gathered the child up in his arms and stepped out
on the stage. The prima donna had the centre of it to herself
at that moment, and all the rest of the company were waiting
to go on; but when they saw the little girl in Van Bibber's
arms they made a rush at her, and the girls leaned over and
kissed her with a great show of rapture and with many gasps of
delight.

"Don't," said Van Bibber, he could not tell just why.
"Don't."

"Why not?" asked one of the girls, looking up at him
sharply.

"She was asleep; you've wakened her," he said, gently.

But he knew that was not the reason. He stepped into the
cab at the stage entrance, and put the child carefully down in
one corner. Then he looked back over his shoulder to see that
there was no one near enough to hear him, and said to the