She groveled to his feet, grasped his hands and began rapturously to kiss them. Topolski stood there gloomily. He felt ashamed of his own anger, so he merely chewed his cigarette and whispered quietly: "Come, get up from the floor and stop playing that comedy. . . . Have you no shame! . . . In a minute you will have everybody in here looking at you." Majkowska's mother, an old woman, resembling a witch, came running up to her and tried to raise her from the floor. "Mela, my daughter!" she cried. "Mother, take that crazy woman away from here; she is continually creating scandals," said Topolski and went out into the hall. "My dear daughter! Do you see! I told you and begged you not to go with such a poor fool! . . . See what your love has brought you to, my Mela! Come, get up, my child!" "Go to the devil, mother!" cried Majkowska, pushing away her mother. Then she sprang up from the floor and began to pace rapidly up and down the stage. In this violent motion she must have spent the rest of her anger, for she began to hum and smile to herself and afterwards called to Janina in the most natural voice: "Perhaps you will take a walk with me? . . ." "Very well, it has even stopped raining . . ." answered the younger woman, glancing at her face. "I have a fine lover, haven't I? . . . Did you see what was going on?" "I saw and cannot yet calm my indignation." "Oh, nonsense!" "How can you stand such a thing?" "I love him too much to pay attention to such trifles." Janina began to laugh nervously, and said: "Such things are to be seen only in the operetta . . . well, and behind the scenes." "Bah, I will avenge myself for it!" "You will avenge yourself? I'm very curious to know how. . . ." "I will marry him . . . I will make him marry me!" "So that will be your vengeance?" inquired Janina in amazement. "There couldn't be a better one. Oh, I'll make his life warm for him! . . . Come, I have to buy some chocolate." "You didn't have money for supper?" cried Janina involuntarily. "Ha! ha! ha! How naive you still are! You saw the gentlemen who sends me bouquets and yet, you think that I have no money! Where were you brought up?" Suddenly, she changed the tone of her voice and asked Janina inquisitively: "Tell me, have you also someone? . . ." "I have art!" answered Janina gravely, not even offended by her question. "You are either very ambitious or very wise . . . I did not know you before . . ." said Majkowska and began to listen more attentively. "Ambitious . . . perhaps, for I have only one object in belonging to the theater and that is art." "Come, don't try to play a farce with me! Ha! ha! Art, as an aim of life! That is a theme for a fine couplet, but it is an old trick." "That depends on the person in question." Majkowska became silent and began gloomily to ponder. "It was hard to catch up with you!" called someone behind them.