"You were not," said Van Bibber.

He turned from the pretty prima donna and hunted up the
wardrobe woman, and told her he wanted to meet the Littlest
Girl. And the wardrobe woman, who was fluttering wildly
about, and as delighted as though they were all her own
children, told him to come into the property-room, where the
children were, and which had been changed into a dressing-room
that they might be by themselves. The six little girls were
in six different states of dishabille, but they were too
little to mind that, and Van Bibber was too polite to observe
it.

"This is the little girl, sir," said the wardrobe woman,
excitedly, proud at being the means of bringing together two
such prominent people. "Her name is Madeline. Speak to the
gentleman, Madeline; he wants to tell you what a great big hit
youse made."

The little girl was seated on one of the cushions of a
double throne so high from the ground that the young woman who
was pulling off the child's silk stockings and putting woollen
ones on in their place did so without stooping. The young
woman looked at Van Bibber and nodded somewhat doubtfully and
ungraciously, and Van Bibber turned to the little girl in
preference. The young woman's face was one of a type that was
too familiar to be pleasant.

He took the Littlest Girl's small hand in his and shook