CHAPTER XIX THE CLUE
Outside the door Dorothy again felt that girlish inclination to collapse.What excuse could she make to her friends for her delay? How would sheget back to them? Perhaps they were looking all over the city for her andthey might have even notified the police of her absence.
All the novelty of the theatre that had, for the past half hour, put aworld between Dorothy and those outside of the stage dressing rooms, wasnow dispelled. What would she say or do when she met Rose-Mary? How couldshe now conceal her worry and anxiety? How was she to continue her searchfor Tavia?
The stage door opened into a dismal, narrow alley. Here Dorothy foundherself in the midst of a scurrying crowd of working people, for severallarge factories had just shut down. The girl stood for a moment andlooked helplessly about her. Presently she felt an arm on her shoulderand started in alarm.
"Dorothy!" exclaimed a voice, and she turned to see Nat standing besideher.
"Oh, Nat! I'm so glad!"
"So am I. Just step along this way. I knew you hadn't come out the frontway so I came here."
Dorothy pressed her shoulder against her cousin in a helpless, imploringsort of way. He seemed to know what the action meant for instantly he hadready to recite, a most plausible explanation of her disappearance.
"You got left behind and were frightened," he asked and answered in samebreath. "I knew it--I told 'em all so. Then some of the ushers took youback and let you out of the stage door. Silly, to get alarmed over alittle thing like that. But I couldn't talk to Mrs. Markin--she wasalmost in hysterics. We'd better hurry back to relieve her suspense."
"I should not have delayed talking, but really I was so--so frightened,"ventured Dorothy.
"Cert you were. Well, you just let me tell the story. It will save lotsof trouble, but of course the girls will have to know all about thepeople you met--behind the scenes."
Was ever there such a blessed boy as Nat? Here he had nicely explainedall Dorothy's troubles and in the simplest manner possible. How splendidboy cousins are, thought Dorothy. They have such a power of sympathy forgirls--better than brothers--if girls would only allow them to exerciseit--in a cousinly way.
Or did Nat know of Dorothy's deliberate visit to the little actress whohad played Katherine? Perhaps some one had told him his cousin was in thedressing room and he had just waited for her to appear at the stage door.Dorothy was sure Nat would save her from making any troublesomeexplanations, and when he asked her, in the most matter-of-fact way ifshe happened to meet the girl with the brown hair who looked so much likeTavia, she had no hesitation in telling him that she was Miss Riceman,and that she was a most charming young lady.
"She doesn't look a bit like Tavia--close by," added Dorothy, rememberingthe scene in the dressing room. "She is as refined and polite aspossible. She showed me the way out."
After telling that much of her adventure to Nat, Dorothy was wellprepared to repeat the story to the others, without fear of disclosingthe real object of her visit behind the scenes.
When Mrs. Markin was finally assured of Dorothy's safety, and hadactually listened with interest to her recital of the trip intostageland, and her encounters there, the matter was regarded as anincident fraught with untold curious bits of "real live adventure." Girlsdo delight in investigating and exploring the unusual quite as much asboys do, although the latter are prone to attribute that faculty tothemselves as something patented.
So it happens that when a girl does actually have an experience she andher companions know how to appreciate the novelty. That was how it turnedout with Dorothy and her friends. Rose-Mary and Alma couldn't hear enoughof "behind the scenes" and Alma ventured to ask Dorothy to take them inthrough the stage door to make a second call on Miss Riceman, when shemight introduce her friends to a real actress.
But Dorothy tried to appease their curiosity as best she could, tellingover and over again how she got lost in the crowd, how the usher accostedher, and led her to the stage, and then how she got confused in hereffort to find the "right door" (which was all true enough) and how itwas then that Miss Riceman came out and invited Dorothy in. Then sherelated how she became faint and told of the water being brought, and soon, until the very closing of the stage door after her when she foundherself in the alley with Nat at her side.
But now Dorothy was about to enter upon a delicate and what might proveto be a difficult adventure. She had to go to the manager's office thenext afternoon, but beyond that point, she dared not trust herself tothink or plan. When night came, and all seemed to be asleep Dorothy, inher room in the big hotel, had a chance to look the situation squarely inthe face.
"One thought I must keep before me," she told herself. "I am bound tofind Tavia and save her. To do this I will have to take great risks, andperhaps be very much misunderstood, but I must do it. Her risk is evengreater than mine and if I appear to deceive people--even dear, good,thoughtful Nat,--I must do so to continue my search."
Then the girl, with aching head, planned how she could get away to seethe theatrical manager the next day. She would not pretend to have anyplans made for going out, and then, just before the hour Miss Riceman hadtold her the manager's office would be open, she would announce that shewanted to get some souvenirs of Buffalo to take home with her. This, shedecided, would give her an opportunity to hurry away alone.
But, oh, how she dreaded to face that manager! If it were only a womanwho was in charge of the office, but a man! And she had heard vaguestories of how dreadfully rude some managers were to persons who botheredthem. There were so many questions she would have to ask--enough to putany manager into bad humor she thought--and perhaps there would be younggirls there like Tavia looking for engagements--they would overhear whatshe had to say. Oh, it was dreadful, the more she thought of it!
Dorothy buried her head deeper into the pillow and tried to sleep. Shefelt that she must get some rest or she would not be able to carry on thework that demanded so much of her strength, her brains and her courage.She needed them all now to follow up the clue of Tavia's whereaboutsgiven by Miss Riceman.
It was almost morning when Dorothy fell into an unquiet sleep, and it wasglaring daylight, with the sun streaming into her window, when she awoke.Rose-Mary was moving about the room on tip-toe after some things, feelingthe necessity of allowing Dorothy all possible rest, as she had appearedso exhausted after her experience of the previous day.
"I'm so sorry you are going away to-morrow," spoke Rose-Mary, seeing thatDorothy was awake. "This is the last day we will have together for sometime. I have enjoyed your visit so much."
"I'm afraid I've been rather stupid," apologized Dorothy, feeling as ifshe must make some excuse for her seeming indifference to Rose-Mary'sentertainment. "But, Cologne dear, I can never tell you how grateful I amfor this chance to see Buffalo. It seems as if I had really entered a newworld since I came into this big city."
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed everything, dear," said Rose-Mary. "But youmust rest to-day and not go sight-seeing any more. You will need to befresh for your auto trip to-morrow morning."
"Oh, yes, I'll rest to-day," replied Dorothy, as she slipped into herdressing-gown and approached the dresser. There she found a dainty arrayof remembrances Cologne had selected for her to take home. This was asurprise and it told Dorothy more plainly than words could, thatRose-Mary loved her, and so loved to make her happy.
There were some exquisite bits of undecorated china for Dorothy to add toher collection of hand-painted pieces, there was a "darling" littletraveling mirror from Mrs. Markin, and Jack, who would not be left out inspite of his sister's protestations that a strange young man could notgive a young lady a present even if it was a sort of souvenir of Buffalo,had made Rose-Mary place on the table with the other tokens a cute littlepocket camera. He secretly hoped his sister would just hint to Dorothythat he had selected it.
Such an array quite overpowered Dorothy and she threw her arms aboutRose
-Mary's neck and cried as if her heart would break.
She calmed down after a while, but even when she and Rose-Mary weredressed the two had little spells of weeping at the thought of parting.Jack peeped in at the door, but when he saw his sister and Dorothy in anembrace, with tears in their eyes, he hurried away, muttering somethingabout "fool girls crying when they're happy," and he "guessed he wouldn'thang around to spoil their fun, if that was what they called a merrytime."
So the two girls were left to themselves to exchange confidences and talkover their fall meeting at Glenwood when school should begin again.
Time managed to slip around quickly that day, and, when afternoon came,Dorothy began to get nervous about her prospective visit to the manager'soffice. It would surely seem rude to leave Rose-Mary alone, but nothingmust deter her from carrying out her plan--no, not even the displeasureof her friends, and this was no small matter to Dorothy when she facedit--she who made such firm friendships when she did make them, and whowas always an example of good breeding and politeness.
When her valise had been packed, so that the entire evening might be leftfor pleasure, and Nat and Ned had appeared from their quarters to makefinal arrangements about coming for Dorothy directly after breakfast, sheglanced at her watch and found it lacked just half an hour of fiveo'clock! The boys were engaged in an argument with Rose-Mary, as to therelative beauty of Boston and New York, Ned holding that a Battery and aBowery made New York the winner.
Suddenly Dorothy jumped up from the porch chair where she had beensitting.
"I believe I'll just run down town to get some more souvenir postalcards," she said bravely, as she started to leave the veranda. She hadher purse in her hand, and there was no need to wear a hat.
"Why?" asked Cologne in natural surprise. "I thought you had plenty."
Nat saw the flush of color that came into Dorothy's cheeks.
"And I'm with you!" he declared, getting up from his place and assistinghis cousin down the steps. "So long," he called back. "Do the best youcan, Ned. I'll be back directly. Just want to make sure that Doro doesn'tfall by the wayside again," and at that the two cousins bolted offlaughing, Dorothy having recovered her composure when she saw how quicklyNat came to her relief. Ned and Rose-Mary were taken so by surprise atthe sudden move that they seemed dazed, and the look on their faces atthe bolt of the two only made the departing ones more merry.
"Nat," said Dorothy as they turned the corner, "I really wanted to go tosome place--"
"Go ahead then," he answered, "only, Doro, you know Ned and I areresponsible for you and you had best tell me about it. You know I won'tinterfere--only to be sure it's all right."
"Nat, you are such a good cousin," began Dorothy.
"Good?" echoed Nat. "Why, you don't say so? Make a note of that and tellthe others--they would never believe me. There, did you see that streakof sunshine stick to my brow? It was a halo, sure thing. But, I say, whatare you going to do, anyhow?"
"To look for Tavia," replied Dorothy miserably.
"Thought so. But where is the looking to be done this time?"
"I thought I would inquire at the office of the theatre. They mighthappen to know something."
"All right, come along. I'll wait outside. Theatre people, especiallymanagers and those in the office, are usually very busy and won't keepyou long."
This was said with all possible kindness, but, somehow, it gave Dorothy acold chill. She was so afraid of facing the manager. Oh, if she onlycould let Nat go in with her! But that would not be fair to Tavia, whosesecret, if she ever discovered it, she determined to keep inviolate. Shemust do it alone, and do it secretly to save Tavia from the possibleconsequences of her folly, should it turn out that she really was with acompany "on the road."
One more block and Nat and Dorothy were in front of the theatre wherethey had attended the play the day before. They stood before the greatopen lobby, empty now save for a few workmen who were busy with mopsscrubbing the tiled marble floor. Nat took Dorothy's arm.
"There's the office of the manager, right over there," he said,indicating a small door that bore no mark to distinguish it from manyothers that opened from the foyer. "I'll wait here for you. Now, don't beafraid to push yourself up front if there's a crowd waiting for him. Wehaven't any too much time."
With all the courage that Dorothy could summon to her aid she walked upto the little door, opened it and stepped inside a little ante-room. Shewas in the manager's office, and the presence of several other persons,who turned to stare at her did not serve to put her at her ease.