ice cream,and other delicacies favored by the young. Manto wanted to win easypopularity by treating a few of the other children, but Palit put hisgirlish foot down. No use arousing suspicion. Even as it was--
"Gee, your father gives you an awful lot of spending money," saidFrances enviously. "Is he rich?"
"We get as much as we want," replied Manto carelessly.
"Gosh, I wish I did."
Miss Burton collected her brood. "Come together, children, I havesomething to say to you. Soon it will be time to go in and hear Mr.George. Now, if Mr. George is so kind as to entertain us, don't youthink that it's only proper for us to entertain him?"
"We could put on our class play!" yelled Barbara.
"Barbara's a fine one to talk," said Frances. "She doesn't even rememberher lines."
"No, children, we mustn't do anything we can't do well. That wouldn'tmake a good impression. And besides, there is no time for a play.Perhaps Barbara will sing--"
"I can sing a 'Thank You' song," interrupted Frances.
"That would be nice."
"I can recite," added another little girl.
"Fine. How about you, Carolyn? You and your little friend, Doris. Canshe act too?"
Carolyn giggled. "Oh, yes, she can act very well. I can act like people.She can act like animals." The laughing, girlish eyes evaded a dirtylook from the little friend. "She can act like _any_ kind of animal."
"She's certainly a talented child. But she seems so shy!"
"Oh, no," said Carolyn. "She likes to be coaxed."
"She shouldn't be like that. Perhaps, Carolyn, you and Doris can dosomething together. And perhaps, too, Mr. George will be pleased to seethat your teacher also has talent."
"You, Miss Burton?"
Miss Burton coughed modestly. "Yes, children, I never told you, but Iwas once ambitious to be an actress too. I studied dramatics, andreally, I was quite good at it. I was told that if I persevered I mightactually be famous. Just think, your teacher might actually have been afamous actress! However, in my day, there were many coarse people on thestage, and the life of the theater was not attractive--but perhaps we'dbetter not speak of that. At any rate, I know the principles of thedramatic art very well."
* * * * *
"God knows what I'll have to go through," said Curt. "And I don't seehow I can take it sober."
"I don't see how they can take you drunk," replied Carol.
"Why go through with it at all? Why not call the whole thing quits?"
"Because people are depending on you. You always want to call quitswhenever you run into something you don't like. You may as well callquits to your contract if that's the way you feel."
"And to your ten per cent, darling."
"You think I'd mind that. I work for my ten per cent, Curt, sweetheart.I work too damn hard for that ten per cent."
"You can marry me and take it easy. Honest, Carol, if you treated mebetter, if you showed me I meant something to you, I'd give updrinking."
She made a face. "Don't talk nonsense. Take your outfit, and let's getready to go. Unless you want to change here, and walk around dressed asa lion hunter."
"Why not? I've walked around dressed as worse. A drunk."
"Drunks don't attract attention. They're too ordinary."
"But a drunken lion hunter--that's something special." He went into thenext room and began to change. "Carol," he called. "Do you like me?"
"At times."
"Would you say that you liked me very much?"
"When you're sober. Rarely."
"Love me?"
"Once in a blue moon."
"What would I have to do for you to want to marry me?"
"Amount to something."
"I like that. Don't you think I amount to something now? Women swoon atthe sight of my face on the screen, and come to life again at the soundof my voice."
"The women who swoon at you will swoon at anybody. Besides, I don'tconsider that making nitwits swoon is a useful occupation for a realman."
"How can I be useful, Carol? No one ever taught me how."
"Some people manage without being taught."
"I suppose I could think how if I had a drink inside me."
"Then you'll have to do without thinking."
He came into the room again, powerful, manly, determined-looking. Therewas an expression in his eye which indicated courage without end, acourage that would enable him to brave the wrath of man, beast, ordevil.
"How do I look?"
"Your noble self, of course. A poor woman's edition of RudolphValentino."
"I feel terrified. I don't know how I'm going to face those kids. Ifthey were boys it wouldn't be so bad, but a bunch of little girls!"
"They'll grow up to be your fans, if you're still alive five years fromnow. Meanwhile, into each life some rain must fall."
"You would talk of water, when you know how I feel."
"Sorry. Come on, let's go."
* * * * *
The lecture hall resounded with giggles. And beneath the giggles was asteady undercurrent of whispers, of girlish confidences exchanged, ofgirlish hopes that would now be fulfilled. Miss Burton's class was notthe only one which had come to hear the famous actor-hunter describe hisbrave exploits. There were at least five others like it, and by somemistake, a class of boys, who also whispered to each other, in manlysuperiority, and pretended to find amusement in the presence of so manyof the fairer sex.
In this atmosphere of giggles and whispers, Manto and Palit couldexchange confidences without being noticed. Palit said savagely, "Whydid you tell her that I could act too?"
"Why, because it's the truth. You're a very good animal performer. Youmake a wonderful dragon, for instance. Go on, Palit, show her what afine dragon you can--"
"Stop it, you fool, before you cause trouble!"
"Very well, Palit. Did I tempt you?"
"Did you tempt me! You and your sense of humor!"
"You and your lack of it! But let's not argue now, Palit. Here, I think,comes the lion-hunter. Let's scream, and be as properly excited as everyone else is."
* * * * *
My God, he thought, how can they keep their voices so high so long? Myeardrums hurt already. How do they stand a lifetime of it? Even an hour?
"Go ahead," whispered Carol. "You've seen the script--go into your act.Tell them what a hero you are. You have the odds in your favor to startwith."
"My lovely looks," he said, with some bitterness.
"Lovely is the word for you. But forget that. If you're good--you'll geta drink afterwards."
"Will it be one of those occasions when you love me?"
"If the moon turns blue."
He strode to the front of the platform, an elephant gun swinging easilyat his side, an easy grin radiating from his confident, rugged face. Thecheers rose to a shrill fortissimo, but the grin did not vanish. What agreat actor he really was, he told himself, to be able to pretend heliked this.
An assistant curator of some collection in the zoo, a flustered oldwoman, was introducing him. There were a few laudatory references to hisgreat talents as an actor, and he managed to look properly modest as helistened. The remarks about his knowledge of wild and ferocious beastswere a little harder to take, but he took them. Then the old womanstepped back, and he was facing his fate alone.
"Children," he began. A pause, a bashful grin. "Perhaps I should rathersay, my friends. I'm not one to think of you as children. Some peoplethink of me as a child myself, because I like to hunt, and haveadventures. They think that such things are childish. But if they are,I'm glad to be a child. I'm glad to be one of you. Yes, I think I _will_call you my friends.
"Perhaps you regard me, my friends, as a very lucky person. But when Irecall some of the narrow escapes I have had, I don't agree with you. Iremember once, when we were on the trail of a rogue elephant--"
He told the
story of the rogue elephant, modestly granting a co-hero'srole to his guide. Then another story illustrating the strange ways oflions. The elephant gun figured in still another tale, this time of avicious rhinoceros. His audience was quiet now, breathless withinterest, and he welcomed the respite from shrillness he had won for hisears.
"And now, my friends, it is time to say farewell." He actually lookedsad and regretful. "But it is my hope that I