And being late, the downstairs at the theater was full. "Balcony only," said a man as she came in. "Oh, _won't_ you find me a good seat?" Laura besought him. "Like to know how I'll find you a seat when there ain't no seat," was the answer--the whole big life of the world in between her and Howie! Upstairs, too, it was hard to find a place. And all those people seated there--for them it meant only a few hours' silly entertainment! But after a moment a man directed her to a seat. There was another place beside it, and just as Laura was being seated a woman came along with two children. "We can't all sit together," she was saying, "so you just sit in here, Mamie. You sit right in here--beside the nice lady." The mother looked at Laura, as if expecting her to welcome her child. Laura did nothing. She must be alone. She was there to be with Howie. She was not as late as she had feared. There would be time for getting ready--getting ready for Howie! She knew this would be the last time she would see Howie as he had moved through the world. For the last time she would see his face light to a smile. If she did not reach him tonight, she would never reach him. She had a feeling that she could reach him, if only something in her--if only something in her-- She could not finish that; it brought her to a place into which she could not reach, but as never before she had a feeling that he could be reached. And so when the little girl beside her twisted in her seat and she knew that the child was looking up at her she tried not to know this little girl was there--tried not to know that any of those people were there. If only she could get them all out of the _way_--she could reach into the shadow and feel Howie near! But there was one thing she kept knowing--try her best not to know it! The little girl beside her, too young to be there, was going to sleep. When it came right up to the moment for her to see Howie, she was knowing that that little girl had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position. Her head had been resting on the side of the seat--the side next Laura--and as she fell asleep it slipped from its support in a way that--Could _she_ help it if this child was not comfortable? Angry, she tried to brush this from her consciousness as we brush dust from our eyes. This was her moment with _Howie_--her _chance_.