"I don’t know what his name was. He’s gone, anyhow. It’s no good waiting about and making a noise." He shut the door. The girls stared at one another blankly. "I want to know the meaning of this," said one of them truculently. "P’raps the caretaker can tell us." She clattered down the stone stairs, and half a dozen of the others followed her. A fair girl standing next to Alexandra spoke to her. "Did you want to see Mr. Norburton too?" "Yes, but I’m afraid I shan’t." Alexandra felt faint. "I don’t think we shall either. It’s my belief we’ve been done. Did he give you lessons?" "Five." "I had five, too," nodded the girl. "Two pounds I paid the blighter. He said I’d suit Mr. Haines a treat. Read me a letter saying he wanted a fair girl with a good figure and contralto voice— What’s that? It was a ’tall and dark’ to you! My hat! What did _you_ pay?" "I gave him a pearl ring." "O-oh!" Her eyes went round. "I saw it on his finger. Then you were hard up?" "I had the ring, but not the money to pay him." "And I had the money. And I haven’t got it now." One of the girls who had gone to make enquiries below came up again. "Thought I’d come and tell you," she panted. "It’s true. He’s gone, right enough. The piano was hired and it’s been fetched away. He’s done seventeen of us, the beast! His name isn’t Norburton at all, but Easton or Weston, I forget which. If the real Mr. Norburton or Maurice Haines heard what he’d been up to they’d prosecute him. He’s just been using their names to cod us. Oh, I’d like to—to—" The unspoken threat tailed off in a resigned sigh. "Well, there’s a voice-trial at Daly’s at 11.30. I’m off." Alexandra did not move. She was dazed. The other girls melted away, all but one little creature in black who commenced to sob. "Don’t cry," said Alexandra, touched by her grief. "You must try and forget the disappointment." The girl raised streaming eyes. She was very plain and wore her hair frizzed out all round her head. The fingers through which her tears had been trickling were red and work-worn. "I paid him f-four pounds in gold," she wept. "And he s-said my voice was g-good enough to get me the engagement. And I’ve given notice at the place I’m at on the strength of it, and now I’ll have to go back and ask to be kept on. Makes me ashamed of myself, it does, after what I said to the mistress about gettin’ ten pounds a week on the stage. And now f-four pounds of good money gone!" "Haven’t you any left?" "I’ve got eleven saved, but it would have been fifteen," sniffed the girl. She took it hardly that she had to pay so heavily for her experience. "Well, then, cheer up," said Alexandra. "I haven’t got fifteen shillings." "Not in the world?" "Not in the world." "But you’re a lady!"