"You're doing well, little girl," whispered Paul to Alice, when she stepped out of the scene for a moment, while another part of the play went on. "Do you really mean it?" she asked him. "I certainly do. Say, you've got the other two guessing, all right." "What other two?" "Miss Pennington and Miss Dixon." "Oh, I'm so sorry." "Sorry for what?" "I mean, I don't want them to dislike me," returned Alice. "Oh, don't worry about that, little girl. They don't like anyone who can do better than themselves. But they're the only ones. The rest of us like you!" "Really?" "Well I should say!" and there was more energy in the words than was actually necessary. Alice blushed, but looked pleased. "Very good!" observed the manager, after an effective scene in which Alice and Ruth took part. "You are doing excellent work. If this play is a hit I'll star you two in something more elaborate next week." "Will you, really?" asked Ruth, as she came out of the scene. "I really will," answered Mr. Pertell. "That's a promise!" CHAPTER XVIII A HIT "Ruth, I do hope it's a success; don't you?" asked Alice. "Of course I do. It means a whole lot." "You mean to Mr. Pertell?" "And to us, dear." "What do you mean? Tell me." The two girls were resting after the performance of the play "A False Count." The last scene had been filmed, and the long strips of celluloid, with the hidden pictures, sent to the dark room for development. Not until then could it be told whether the affair had been a success from a mechanical standpoint. And then, later, would come the test before the great public. "Did you hear what Mr. Pertell said to me?" asked Ruth. "Well, he said so much, directing us, and all that--I'm sure I don't recall anything special. What was it?" "Why, he told me that if this play was a success--I mean if we showed up well in it--he'd give us parts in a big drama he's getting ready. Won't that be splendid?" "Of course it will. But I liked this one very much. I wish I could see the real pictures." "You can!" exclaimed a voice back of the girls, and, turning they saw Russ. "I'll take you to see them when the positives are made," he said. "Oh, but I mean in a regular moving picture theater," went on Alice. "I'd like to see how the public takes us." "I'll do that, too," agreed Russ. "As soon as the pictures are released we'll find some place where they are being shown, and you can watch yourself doing your act." "That will be fine!" cried Ruth. "What does 'released' mean?" asked Alice. "Well, you know the moving picture business is something like the Associated Press," explained Russ. "The Associated Press is an organization for getting news. Often news has to be gotten in advance--say a thing like the President's message, or a speech by a big man.