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the refrain of which he caught as 〃God calls them Angels in Heaven； we call them Mothers here。〃
The song ended； the Montague girl stepped to the centre of the room； looked aimlessly about her； then seized an innocent bystander； one of the rough characters frequenting this unsavoury resort； and did a dance with him among the tables。 Tiring of this； she flitted across the room and addressed the bored director who impatiently awaited the changing of lights。 She affected to consider him a reporter who had sought an interview with her。 She stood erect； facing him with one hand on a hip； the other patting and readjusting her blonde coiffure。
〃Really；〃 she began in a voice of pained dignity； 〃I am at a loss to understand why the public should be so interested in me。 What can I say to your readersI who am so wholly absorbed in my art that I can't think of hardly anything else？ Why will not the world let us alone？ Hold ondon't go！〃
She had here pretended that the reporter was taking her at her word。 She seized him by a lapel to which she clung while with her other arm she encircled a post； thus anchoring the supposed intruder into her private affairs。 〃As I was saying；〃 she resumed； 〃all this publicity is highly distasteful to the artist； and yet since you have forced yourself in here I may as well say a few little things about how good I am and how I got that way。 Yes； I have nine motor cars； and I just bought a lace tablecloth for twelve hundred bones〃
She broke off inconsequently； poor victim of her constitutional frivolity。 The director grinned after her as she danced away； though Merton Gill had considered her levity in the worst of taste。 Then her eye caught him as he stood modestly back of the working electricians and she danced forward again in his direction。 He would have liked to evade her but saw that he could not do this gracefully。
She greeted him with an impudent grin。 〃Why； hello； trouper！ As I live； the actin' Kid！〃 She held out a hand to him and he could not well refuse it。 He would have preferred to 〃up…stage〃 her once more； as she had phrased it in her low jargon； but he was cornered。 Her grip of his hand quite astonished him with its vigour。
〃Well； how's everything with you？ Everything jake？〃 He tried for a show of easy confidence。 〃Oh； yes； yes； indeed； everything is。〃
〃Well； that's good； Kid。〃 But she was now without the grin； and was running a practised eye over what might have been called his production。 The hat was jaunty enough； truly a hat of the successful； but all below that； the not…too…fresh collar； the somewhat rumpled coat； the trousers crying for an iron despite their nightly compression beneath their slumbering owner； the shoes not too recently polished； and； more than all； a certain hunted though still…defiant look in the young man's eyes； seemed to speak eloquently under the shrewd glance she bent on him。
〃Say； listen here； Old…timer； remember I been trouping man and boy for over forty year and it's hard to fool meyou working？〃
He resented the persistent levity of manner； but was coerced by the very apparent real kindness in her tone。 〃Well；〃 he looked about the set vaguely in his discomfort； 〃you see； right now I'm between picturesyou know how it is。〃
Again she searched his eyes and spoke in a lower tone： 〃Well； all rightbut you needn't blush about it； Kid。〃 The blush she detected became more flagrant。
〃Well； Iyou see〃 he began again； but he was saved from being explicit by the call of an assistant director。
〃Miss Montague。 Miss Montaguewhere's that Flips girlon the set； please。〃 She skipped lightly from him。 When she returned a little later to look for him he had gone。
He went to bed that night when darkness had made this practicable； and under his blankets whiled away a couple of wakeful hours by running tensely dramatic films of breakfast； dinner； and supper at the Gashwiler home。 It seemed that you didn't fall asleep so quickly when you had eaten nothing since early morning。 Never had he achieved such perfect photography as now of the Gashwiler corned… beef hash and light biscuits； the Gashwiler hot cakes and sausage； and never had Gashwiler so impressively carved the Saturday night four…rib roast of tender beef。 Gashwiler achieved a sensational triumph in the scene； being accorded all the closeups that the most exacting of screen actors could wish。 His knife…work was perfect。 He held his audience enthralled by his technique。
Mrs。 Gashwiler； too； had a small but telling part in the drama to… night； only a character bit； but one of those poignant bits that stand out in the memory。 The subtitle was； 〃Merton； won't you let me give you another piece of the mince pie？〃 That was all； and yet； as screen artists say； it got over。 There came very near to being not a dry eye in the house when the simple words were flashed beside an insert of thick； flaky…topped mince pies with quarters cut from them to reveal their noble interiors
Sleep came at last while he was regretting that lawless orgy of the morning。 He needn't have cleaned up those beans in that silly way。 He could have left a good half of them。 He ran what might have been considered a split…reel comedy of the stew…pan's bottom still covered with perfectly edible beans lightly protected with Nature's own pastel…tinted shroud for perishing vegetable matter and diversified here and there with casual small deposits of ashes。
In the morning something good really did happen。 As he folded his blankets in the gray light a hard object rattled along the floor from them。 He picked this up before he recognized it as a mutilated fragment from the stale halfloaf of bread he had salvaged。 He wondered how he could have forgotten it； even in the plenitude of his banquet。 There it was； a mere nubbin of crust and so hard it might almost have been taken for a petrified specimen of prehistoric bread。 Yet it proved to be rarely palatable。 It's flavour was exquisite。 It melted in the mouth。
Somewhat refreshed by this modest cheer； he climbed from the window of the Crystal Palace with his mind busy on two tracks。 While the letter to Gashwiler composed itself； with especially clear directions about where the return money should be sent； he was also warning himself to remain throughout the day at a safe distance from the door of the cafeteria。 He had proved the wisdom of this even the day before that had started with a bounteous breakfast。 To…day the aroma of cooked food occasionally wafted from the cafeteria door would prove； he was sure； to be more than he could bear。
He rather shunned the stages to…day； keeping more to himself。 The collar； he had to confess； was no longer； even to the casual eye； what a successful screen…actor's collar should be。 The sprouting beard might still be misconstrued as the whim of a director sanctified to realismevery day it was getting to look more like thatbut no director would have commanded the wearing of such a collar except in actual work where it might have been a striking detail in the apparel of an underworldling； one of those creatures who became the tools of rich but unscrupulous roues who are bent upon the moral destruction of beautiful young screen heroines。 He knew it was now t