"Just so--just so!" broke in Fullaway. "I quite appreciate your points. But there is more in this than meets the first glance. Let us get Mademoiselle off to her engagement, I say--that's the first thing. Then we can do business. Weiss," he continued, drawing the concert-director aside, "you must arrange to let her appear as soon as possible after you get back to the hall, and to put forward her appearance in the second half of your program, so that she can return here as soon as possible--she'll only be in irrepressible fidgets until she knows what's been done. And--you know what she is!--you ought to be very thankful that she's allowed herself to be persuaded to go with you. Mademoiselle," he went on, as the prima donna, fully attired, but innocent of jewelled ornament, swept into the room, "you are doing the right thing--bravely! Go, sing--sing your best, your divinest--let your admiring audience recognize that you have a soul above even serious misfortune. Meanwhile, allow me to order your supper to be served in this room, for eleven o'clock, and permit me and my friend, Mr. Allerdyke, to invite ourselves to share it with you. Then--we will give you some news that will interest and astonish you." "That only makes me all the more frantic to get back," exclaimed the prima donna. "Come along, now, Weiss--you've got a car outside, I suppose? Hurry, then, and let me get it over." When the vastly relieved concert-director had led his bundle of silks and laces safely out, Fullaway laughed and turned to the other men. "Now, gentlemen," he said, "perhaps we can have a little quiet talk about this affair." He flung himself into a seat and nodded at the hotel-manager. "Just tell us exactly what's happened since Mademoiselle arrived here," he said. "Let's get an accurate notion of all her doings. She came--when?"