"Evidently!" Edward Henry concurred. "But shall you have to give up any other engagement in order to take charge of The Muses' Theatre? Because if so--" Mr. Marrier replied: "No." Edward Henry observed: "Oh!" "But," said Marrier, reassuringly, "if necessary I would throw up any engagement--you understand me, any--in favour of The Intellectual Theatah--as I prefer to call it. You see, as I own part of the option--" By these last words Edward Henry was confounded, even to muteness. "I forgot to mention, Mr. Machin," said Rose Euclid, very quickly. "I've disposed of a quarter of my half of the option to Mr. Marrier. He fully agreed with me it was better that he should have a proper interest in the theatre." "Why of course!" cried Mr. Harrier, uplifted. "Let me see," said Edward Henry, after a long breath, "a quarter. That makes it that you have to find £562, 10s. to-morrow, Mr. Marrier." "Yes." "To-morrow morning--you'll be all right?" "Well, I won't swear for the morning, but I shall turn up with the stuff in the afternoon, anyhow. I've two men in tow, and one of them's a certainty." "Which?" "I don't know which," said Mr. Marrier. "How-evah, you may count on yours sincerely, Mr. Machin." There was a pause. "Perhaps I ought to tell you," Rose Euclid smiled, "perhaps I ought to tell you that Mr. Trent is also one of our partners. He has taken another quarter of my half." Edward Henry controlled himself. "Excellent!" said he, with glee. "Mr. Trent's money all ready, too?" "I am providing most of it--temporarily," said Rose Euclid. "I see. Then I understand you have your three quarters of £2250 all ready in hand." She glanced at Mr. Seven Sachs. "Have I, Mr. Sachs?" And Mr. Sachs, after an instant's hesitation, bowed in assent. "Mr. Sachs is not exactly going into the speculation, but he is lending us money on the security of our interests. That's the way to put it, isn't it, Mr. Sachs?" Mr. Sachs once more bowed. And Edward Henry exclaimed: "Now I really do see!" He gave one glance across the table at Mr. Seven Sachs, as who should say: "And have you too allowed yourself to be dragged into this affair? I really thought you were cleverer. Don't you agree with me that we're both fools of the most arrant description?" And under that brief glance Mr. Seven Sachs's calm deserted him as it had never deserted him on the stage, where for over fifteen hundred nights he had withstood the menace of revolvers, poison, and female treachery through three hours and four acts without a single moment of agitation.