Shortly before seven o'clock, that same morning, a limousine car pulled
up quietly just short of the corner of Madison Avenue, and its occupant,
with a word on alighting to his driver, addressed himself briskly to the
door of the ground-floor flat.
He was a handsome, well dressed, well-set-up and well-nourished animal
of something more than middle-age: a fact which the pitilessly clear
light of early morning betrayed, discovering lines and hollows in his
clean-shaven countenance which would ordinarily have escaped notice.
But he had passed that time of life when he could suffer a sleepless
night of anxiety without visibly paying for it.
His intention to announce himself by ringing the bell was promptly
anticipated, the door opening before his finger could touch the button.
He checked momentarily in obvious surprise, then jauntily lifted his hat
as he stepped hurriedly inside.
"Why, my dear!" he addressed the woman who held the door--"up so early!"
"I haven't been to bed, of course, Mr. Arlington," Joan informed him.
"Well," he observed, not without envy, "you don't look it."
"I've been packing all night," she returned. "Of course--I can't stay
here, after what's happened."
"Of course not," he agreed sympathetically.
Having closed the outside door, she moved before him into a small
drawing-room which adjoined the entry-hall on the left, and when he had
followed shut its door with particular care.
"Sara's still packing," she explained, turning to Arlington. "Well?"
He hesitated, looking her over with a doubtful eye. But she was, at
least outwardly, quite cool and collected, her manner exhibiting no
undue amount of anxiety.
Still, a certain amount of make-believe would seem no more than
decent....
"Look here," he said almost sharply--"you're feeling all right, eh?"
"Quite--only tired as a dog; and naturally--"
"I understand," he interrupted. "But you'll be fit to go on tonight, you
think?"
"Don't worry about that," Joan advised him decidedly. "I'm hoping to get
a nap before evening, but even if I don't, I know the first duty of an
actress is always to her public."
"Yes," Arlington agreed briefly, avoiding her eyes.... "Still, I must
ask you to be prepared."
Joan's figure stiffened slightly, and her dark eyes widened.
"Dead?" she questioned in a low voice.
Arlington nodded. "I'm sorry.... About half an hour after we got him
home."
The girl sat down suddenly and buried her face in her hands.
"Oh!" she cried in a stifled voice--"how awful!"
"There!" Arlington moved over and rested a hand familiarly on her
shoulder. "Brace up. You'll forget all about this before long."
"O no--never!" she moaned through her fingers.
"But you will," he insisted, looking down at her with an odd expression.
"To begin with, I'm going to make it my business to see that you forget.
You must. You can't do justice to your--genius, if you keep harping on
this accident. It wasn't your fault, you know. Just as soon as I've
arranged a few details.... By the way, how's the Cardrow woman?"
"Asleep," Joan answered. "She hasn't made a bit of trouble since the
doctor gave her that dope--whatever it was."
"Good. He'll be along presently with a nurse he can trust. And by that
time I'll have you out of the way. I know just the place for you, a
little flat uptown, on Fifty-ninth Street, overlooking the Park. You'll
be very quiet and comfortable there, and near the theatre besides."
"I'm glad of that. I was thinking, of course, I'd have to go to some
hotel ... and I didn't want to."
"And quite natural. You want to be alone until you feel yourself
again.... I'll find you a good maid, and make everything smooth for you.
You're not to fret about anything, and if you're troubled you must come
right to me."
"You're awf'ly kind."
"Don't look at it that way, please."
"How can I ever thank you?"
"Oh, we'll talk that over some other time." Arlington removed his hand
from her shoulder and went back to the table, upon which he had
deposited a bundle of newspapers. "There's no doubt of your success," he
pursued soothingly. "Your notices are the finest I've seen in years. I
brought you the lot of them in case you care--"