think!"

"No," said Tinker. "No matter."

Potter laughed. "Talbot Potter leaves the stage because a
little 'ingenue' understudy tries to break the rules of his
company! Likely, isn't it?"

"Looks so," said old Tinker.

"Does it?" retorted Potter with rising fury. "Then I'll tell you,
since you seem not to know it, that I'm not going to leave the
stage! Can't a man give vent to his feelings once in his life
without being caught up and held to it by every old school-teacher
that's stumbled into the 'show-business' by mistake! We're going
right on with this play, I tell you; we rehearse it to-morrow
morning just the same as if this hadn't happened. Only there will be
a new 'ingenue' in Miss Malone's place. People can't break iron
rules in my company. Maybe they could in Mounet-Sully's, but they
can't in mine!"

"What rule did she break?" Canby's voice was unsteady. "What
rule?"

"Yes," Tinker urged. "Tell us what it was."

"After rehearsal," the star began with dignity, "I was--I--" He
paused. "I was disappointed in her."

"Ye-es?" drawled Tinker encouragingly.