"Friend of yours?" he demanded with a sneer and a backward jerk of his head. "Yes--the husband of a friend of mine," she replied quickly. The actor digested this information grimly. "Swell friends you've got, all right!" he commented, not without a touch of envy. "Now I begin to understand.... What's Marbridge going to do for you?" "Do for me? Mr. Marbridge? Why, nothing," she answered blankly, in a breath. "I don't know what you mean." "That's all right then. But take a friendly tip, and give him the office the minute he begins to talk about influencing managers to star you. I've heard about that guy, and he's a rotten proposition--grab it from me. He's Arlington's silent partner--and you know what kind of a rep. Arlington's got." "No, I don't," Joan challenged him sharply. "What's more, I don't care. Anyway, I don't see what Arlington's reputation's got to do with my being a friend of Marbridge's wife." "No more do I," grumbled Quard--"not if Marbridge believes you are." XXIII Before leaving the restaurant Quard outlined in detail his plans for producing "The Lie" for vaudeville presentation. He named the other two actors, spoke of hiring a negro dresser who would double as the servant, and indicated his intention of engaging a producing director of the first calibre who, he said, thought highly of the play. Joan was a little overcome. Peter Gloucester was a producer quite worthy to be named in the same breath with Wilbrow. "Well, he believes in the piece," Quard explained--"the same as me--and he says he'll give us ten afternoon rehearsals for a hundred and fifty. It'll be worth it." "You must think so," said Joan, a little awed. "You bet I do. This means a lot to me, anyway; I gotta do something to keep my head above out-of-town stock--or the movies again." Mentioning his recent experience, he shuddered realistically. "But if this piece ain't actor-proof, I'm no judge. Gloucester says so, too. And to have him tune it up into a reg'lar classy act will be worth ... something, I tell you!" His hesitation was due to the fact that Quard was secretly counting on the representations of his agent, Boskerk, who insisted that, properly presented, the sketch would earn at least four hundred and fifty dollars a week, instead of the sum he had named to Joan.