"I'm afraid she won't live until midnight."
Doctors need not give themselves the trouble to "break news gently" in
cases where they stand small chances of remuneration.
Mogley staggered. It was cruel that this should occur just when he had
such good news. But an idea occurred to him. Perhaps the good news would
reanimate her.
"Alice," he cried, as he threw open the door, "you must get well! My chance
has come. The tide, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune, is here."
She sat up in bed, trembling. "What is it, Tom?"
"This. Young Hopkins asked me to have a drink at the Hoffman this
afternoon, and, while I was in there, Hexter, who managed the 'Silver
King' Company the season I played Coombe, came in all rattled. 'Why this
extravagant wrath?' Hopkins asked, in his picturesque way. Then Hexter
explained that his revival of Wilkins' old burlesque on 'Faust' couldn't be
put on to-night, because Renshaw, who was to be the Mephisto, was too sick
to walk. 'No one else knows the part,' Hexter said. Then I told him I knew
the part; how I'd played Valentine to Wilkins' Mephisto when the piece was
first produced before these Gaiety people brought their 'Faust up-to-date'
from London.
Pages:
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66