Matthias accepted her hand, shook it without a tremor, and released it easily. "I've a notion it is, Joan," he admitted. She turned toward the door, advanced a pace or two, and paused. "They say Arlington's going to make a lot of new productions next Fall...." "Yes?" "Well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind putting in a good word for me." "I would be glad to, but unfortunately I don't know Mr. Arlington." "But you know Mr. Marbridge, and everybody says he's Arlington's silent partner." Matthias looked as uncomfortable as he felt. "I am not sure that is true," he said slowly, "and--well, to tell the truth, Marbridge and I aren't on the best of terms. I'm afraid I couldn't influence him in any way--except, perhaps, to prejudice him." "Oh!" Joan said blankly.... It came to her, in a flash, that the two men might have quarrelled about her, thanks to the obvious fascination she had exerted over Marbridge, that age-old day at Tanglewood. "I suppose," she ventured pensively, "I might go to see him--Mr. Marbridge--myself--?" "I'm afraid I can't advise you." This time the accent of finality was unmistakable. Joan bridled with resentment. After all, he'd no real call to be so uppish, simply because she hadn't let him stand between her and her career.... "You don't really think I ought to go and see him, do you?" "I wish you wouldn't ask me, Joan." "But I've got no one to advise me.... If you don't think it wise, I wish you'd say so. I thought perhaps it was a chance...." Matthias shrugged, excessively irritated by her persistence. "I can only say that I wouldn't advise any woman to look to Marbridge for anything honourable," he said reluctantly. "Oh!" the girl said in a startled tone. "But--I'm sorry you made me say that. It's none of my affair. Please forget I said it." "But you make it so hard for me." "I?" he cried indignantly--"_I_ make it hard for you!" "Well, I come to you for advice--friendly advice--and you close in my very face the only door I can see to any sort of work. It's--it's pretty hard. I can act, I know I can act! I guess I proved that when I was with Charlie--Mr. Quard--the star of 'The Lie,' you know. I couldn't've stuck as long as I did if I hadn't had talent.... But back here in New York, all that doesn't seem to count. Here I've been going around for two months, and all they offer me is a chorus job with some road company. But Arlington ... he employs more girls than anybody in the business. I know he'd give me a chance to show what I can do, if I could only get to him. And then you tell me not to try to get to him the only way I know." Abruptly Joan ceased, breathing heavily after that long and, even to her, unexpected speech. But it had been well delivered: she could feel that. She clenched her hands at her sides in a gesture plagiarized from a soubrette star in one of her infrequent scenes of stage excitement; and stood regarding Matthias with wide, accusing eyes. His own were blank....