* * * * * I don't follow the drama much as a general rule, but seeing that it was now, so to speak, in the family, I did keep an eye open for the newspaper notices of 'The Rose Girl', which was the name of the piece which Mr Mandelbaum was letting Katie do a solo dance in; and while some of them cussed the play considerable, they all gave Katie a nice word. One feller said that she was like cold water on the morning after, which is high praise coming from a newspaper man. There wasn't a doubt about it. She was a success. You see, she was something new, and London always sits up and takes notice when you give it that. There were pictures of her in the papers, and one evening paper had a piece about 'How I Preserve My Youth' signed by her. I cut it out and showed it to Andy. He gave it a look. Then he gave me a look, and I didn't like his eye. 'Well?' he says. 'Pardon,' I says. 'What about it?' he says. 'I don't know,' I says. 'Get back to your work,' he says. So I got back. It was that same night that the queer thing happened. We didn't do much in the supper line at MacFarland's as a rule in them days, but we kept open, of course, in case Soho should take it into its head to treat itself to a welsh rabbit before going to bed; so all hands was on deck, ready for the call if it should come, at half past eleven that night; but we weren't what you might term sanguine. Well, just on the half-hour, up drives a taxicab, and in comes a party of four. There was a nut, another nut, a girl, and another girl. And the second girl was Katie. 'Hallo, Uncle Bill!' she says. 'Good evening, madam,' I says dignified, being on duty. 'Oh, stop it, Uncle Bill,' she says. 'Say "Hallo!" to a pal, and smile prettily, or I'll tell them about the time you went to the White City.' Well, there's some bygones that are best left bygones, and the night at the White City what she was alluding to was one of them. I still maintain, as I always shall maintain, that the constable had no right to--but, there, it's a story that wouldn't interest you. And, anyway, I was glad to see Katie again, so I give her a smile. 'Not so much of it,' I says. 'Not so much of it. I'm glad to see you, Katie.' 'Three cheers! Jimmy, I want to introduce you to my friend, Uncle Bill. Ted, this is Uncle Bill. Violet, this is Uncle Bill.' It wasn't my place to fetch her one on the side of the head, but I'd of liked to have; for she was acting like she'd never used to act when I knew her--all tough and bold. Then it come to me that she was nervous. And natural, too, seeing young Andy might pop out any moment. And sure enough out he popped from the back room at that very instant. Katie looked at him, and he looked at Katie, and I seen his face get kind of hard; but he didn't say a word. And presently he went out again. I heard Katie breathe sort of deep. 'He's looking well, Uncle Bill, ain't he?' she says to me, very soft.