III
Shortly afterwards Mr. Marrier came into the managerial office, litup now, where Edward Henry was dictating to his typewriter andhospital-nurse, who, having been caught in hat and jacket on thethreshold, had been brought back and was tapping his words direct onto the machine.
It was a remarkable fact that the sole proprietor of the RegentTheatre was now in high spirits and good humour.
"Well, Marrier, my boy," he saluted the acting-manager, "how are yougetting on with that rehearsal?"
"Well, sir," said Mr. Marrier, "I'm not getting on with it. MissEuclid refuses absolutely to proceed. She's in her dressing-room."
"But why?" inquired Edward Henry with bland surprise. "Doesn't she_want_ to be heard--by her gallery-boys?"
Mr. Marrier showed an enfeebled smile.
"She hasn't been spoken to like that for thirty years," said he.
"But don't you agree with me?" asked Edward Henry.
"Yes," said Marrier, "I _agree_ with you--"
"And doesn't your friend Carlo want his precious hexameters to beheard?"
"We baoth agree with you," said Marrier. "The fact is, we've done allwe could, but it's no use. She's splendid, only--" He paused.
"Only you can't make out ten per cent of what she says," Edward Henryfinished for him. "Well, I've got no use for that in my theatre." Hefound a singular pleasure in emphasizing the phrase, "my theatre."
"That's all very well," said Marrier. "But what are you going to _do_about it? I've tried everything. _You've_ come in and burst up theentire show, if you'll forgive my saying saoh!"
"Do?" exclaimed Edward Henry. "It's perfectly simple. All you have todo is to act. God bless my soul, aren't you getting fifteen pounds aweek, and aren't you my acting-manager? Act, then! You've done enoughhinting. You've proved that hints are no good. You'd have known thatfrom your birth up, Marrier, if you'd been born in the Five Towns.Act, my boy."
"But haow? If she won't go on, she won't."
"Is her understudy in the theatre?"
"Yes. It's Miss Cunningham, you know."
"What salary does she get?"
"Ten pounds a week."
"What for?"
"Well--partly to understudy, I suppose."
"Let her earn it, then. Go on with the rehearsal. And let her play thepart to-morrow night. She'll be delighted, you bet."
"But--"
"Miss Lindop," Edward Henry interrupted, "will you please read to Mr.Marrier what I've dictated?" He turned to Marrier. "It's an interviewwith myself for one of to-morrow's papers."
Miss Lindop, with tears in her voice if not in her eyes, obeyed theorder and, drawing the paper from the machine, read its contentsaloud.
Mr. Marrier started back--not in the figurative but in the literalsense--as he listened.
"But you'll never send that out!" he exclaimed.
"Why not?"
"No paper will print it!"
"My dear Marrier," said Edward Henry, "don't be a simpleton. You knowas well as I do that half-a-dozen papers will be delighted to printit. And all the rest will copy the one that does print it. It'llbe the talk of London to-morrow, and Isabel Joy will be absolutelysnuffed out."
"Well," said Mr. Marrier, "I never heard of such a thing!"
"Pity you didn't, then!"
Mr. Marrier moved away.
"I say," he murmured at the door, "don't you think you ought to readthat to Rose first?"
"I'll read it to Rose like a bird," said Edward Henry.
Within two minutes--it was impossible to get from his room to thedressing-rooms in less--he was knocking at Rose Euclid's door. "Who'sthere?" said a voice. He entered and then replied: "I am."
Rose Euclid was smoking a cigarette and scratching the arm of aneasy-chair behind her. Her maid stood near by with a whisky-and-soda.
"Sorry you can't go on with the rehearsal, Miss Euclid," said EdwardHenry very quickly. "However, we must do the best we can. But Mr.Marrier thought you'd like to hear this. It's part of an interviewwith me that's going to appear to-morrow in the press."
Without pausing, he went on to read: "I found Mr. Alderman Machin, thehero of the Five Towns and the proprietor and initiator of London'snewest and most up-to-date and most intellectual theatre, surroundedby a complicated apparatus of telephones and typewriters in hismanagerial room at the Regent. He received me very courteously. "Yes,"he said in response to my question, "the rumour is quite true. Theprincipal part in 'The Orient Pearl' will be played on the first nightby Miss Euclid's understudy, Miss Olga Cunningham, a young woman ofvery remarkable talent. No, Miss Euclid is not ill or even indisposed.But she and I have had a grave difference of opinion. The pointbetween us was whether Miss Euclid's speeches ought to be clearlyaudible in the auditorium. I considered they ought. I may be wrong.I may be provincial. But that was and is my view. At thedress-rehearsal, seated in the gallery, I could not hear her lines. Iobjected. She refused to consider the objection or to proceed with therehearsal. _Hinc illae lachrymae_!" ... "Not at all," said Mr. Machinin reply to a question, "I have the highest admiration for MissEuclid's genius. I should not presume to dictate to her as to herart. She has had a very long experience of the stage, very long, anddoubtless knows better than I do. Only, the Regent happens to be mytheatre, and I'm responsible for it. Every member of the audience willhave a complete uninterrupted view of the stage, and I intend thatevery member of the audience shall hear every word that is uttered onthe stage. I'm odd, I know. But then I've a reputation for oddnessto keep up. And by the way, I'm sure that Miss Cunningham will make agreat reputation for herself."
"Not while I'm here, she won't!" exclaimed Rose Euclid, standing up,and enunciating her words with marvellous clearness.
Edward Henry glanced at her, and then continued to read: "Suggestionsfor headlines. 'Piquant quarrel between manager and star-actress.''Unparalleled situation.' 'Trouble at the Regent Theatre.'"
"Mr. Machin," said Rose Euclid, "you are not a gentleman."
"You'd hardly think so, would you?" mused Edward Henry, as if mildlyinterested in this new discovery of Miss Euclid's.
"Maria," said the star to her maid, "go and tell Mr. Marrier I'mcoming."
"And I'll go back to the gallery," said Edward Henry. "It's the placefor people like me, isn't it? I daresay I'll tear up this paper later,Miss Euclid--we'll see."