Struck by this thought, Joan gasped inwardly, and examined with startled eyes the face of Matthias. It was her first reminder of the fact that he had left her one hundred and fifty unearned dollars. She had forgotten all about that till this instant. Otherwise, she would have hesitated longer about calling. She wondered if he were thinking of the same thing; but his face afforded no index to his thoughts. He wasn't looking at her at all, in fact, but down, in abstraction, studying the faded pattern of the carpet at his feet. She wondered if perhaps it would advance her interests to offer to return the money, to pay it back bit by bit--when she found work. But wisely she refrained from acting on this suggestion. "I'm sorry I was so long about bringing it back," she resumed with an artificial manner. "I was always meaning to, you know, and always kept putting it off. You know how it is when you're on the road: one never seems to have any time to one's self." "I quite understand," Matthias assured her gravely. She grew sensitive to the fact that he was being patient with her. "But I really mustn't keep you from your work," she said, rising. "You--you knew I was working, didn't you?" "I heard," Matthias evaded--"in a roundabout way--that you were playing in vaudeville." The girl nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes; I was all over, playing the lead in a sketch called 'The Lie.' It was a regular knock-out. You ought to have seen how it got over. It's still playing, somewhere out West, I guess." "You left it, then?" Matthias asked, bored, heartily wishing her out of the house. She was aching to know if he had learned of her marriage. But then she felt sure he couldn't possibly have heard about it. Still, she wondered, if he did know, would it modify his attitude toward her in any way? "Yes," she resumed briskly, to cover her momentary hesitation, "I left it the week we played 'Frisco. I had to. The star and I couldn't seem to hit it off, somehow. You know how that is." "And yet you must have managed to agree with him pretty well, from all I hear." "What did you hear?" (Did he really know, then?) "Why," Matthias explained ingeniously, "you must have been with the sketch for several months, by your own account. You couldn't have been bickering all that time." Confidence returned.... "Oh, that! Yes, of course. But I could see it coming a long ways ahead. So I quit, and came back to look for another engagement. You--" She broke off, stammering. "Beg pardon?" Matthias queried curiously. Joan flushed again. "You don't know of anything I could do, just now, I suppose?" He shook his head. "Not at present, I'm afraid." "If you should hear of anything, it would be awful' good of you to let me know." "Depend upon me, I shall." "Care of The Dramatic Mirror will always get me." "I shan't forget." "Well...." She offered him her hand with a splendidly timid smile. "I suppose it's good-bye for good this time."