you.”
“How generous,” she said, without turning to him.
“Your word will be enough,” he urged. “I know I can trust you.”
“Until the next time you come up with more groundless suspicions,” she said turning to him.
He looked down. “I cannot help my nature.”
Fanny gave a deep sigh. And then she said, “For the good of the company I will overlook this. But I will be leaving this room and moving to more modest accommodations for the balance of the engagement.”
Peter looked stunned. “You mean you are leaving me?”
“I will no longer be your mistress, to speak frankly,” she said. “And it would seem I should since you have been so honest in your comments.”
“I did not mean it!”
“I know you did,” she said, gazing at him coldly. “And perhaps I deserve it for behaving as I did. I knew it was a poor arrangement from the start!”
His anger now began returning. The blonde man cried, “So that is why you slept with me! To keep your precious company together! To build your own career, using me as a stepping stone!”
“If you want to think that!”
“Then you will use me no longer,” he said. “I am leaving you and the company.”
It was her turn to plead, “Do what you like about me. But do not desert the company. You will close the theatre and put many innocent people out of work.”
“I don’t give a damn about the theatre, or the precious company! I never have!” he told her.
“Now you are being truthful!”
“I’m taking the train to New York,” he said. “You can explain to your beloved company! “ And He hurried out of the room and slammed the door after him.
As soon as he was out of the room she dropped into the nearest chair and began to sob aloud. Not only because he had chosen to destroy the company but because of the dreadful things which he’d said to her. He had exposed himself as a shallow, wealthy man used to buying what he wanted and enraged if anything were taken from him. She had feared her liaison with him from the start. Now she had all too truly been proven right.
After her initial emotional reaction she began to try and make some plans. The understudy could play for the afternoon performance of The Rivals . But tonight the company was scheduled to do Richelieu and she knew the young man, while he might know the lines, was not equal to playing the famous Cardinal. Peter had been no more than adequate in it but had insisted on it being including in their schedule.
She would have to send a telegram to Barnum and ask his advice. She would also check at the box-office and see if the house was well sold out. Lately all the evening performances had been crowded, with a number of standees at the back. The city was filled with troops on leave or waiting to go to the front, many of them young officers who enjoyed an evening in the theatre. In many, cases the last they would ever experience. Her heart was tormented by the sight of the earnest, young faces as the junior officers stood to applaud her at the end of a performance.
To disappoint such patrons was almost traitorous. It showed what she had always suspected, that Peter had no true love for the theatre.
She went downstairs and checked to see if Peter Cortez had truly checked out of the hotel. The puzzled clerk told her that he had. He said, “He left a while ago for the railway station. He took only one bag with him. The rest are to be packed for him and sent on to his hotel in New York.”
“I see,” she said, knowing there was no longer any hope of his changing his mind. It was settled now.
The clerk asked, “Did he have some bad news?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“What about the plays? Will they go on?” the clerk wanted to know.
“I hope so,” she said. And she gave the clerk a look of concern. “I would appreciate your not mentioning this to anyone.”
“Very well,
“How generous,” she said, without turning to him.
“Your word will be enough,” he urged. “I know I can trust you.”
“Until the next time you come up with more groundless suspicions,” she said turning to him.
He looked down. “I cannot help my nature.”
Fanny gave a deep sigh. And then she said, “For the good of the company I will overlook this. But I will be leaving this room and moving to more modest accommodations for the balance of the engagement.”
Peter looked stunned. “You mean you are leaving me?”
“I will no longer be your mistress, to speak frankly,” she said. “And it would seem I should since you have been so honest in your comments.”
“I did not mean it!”
“I know you did,” she said, gazing at him coldly. “And perhaps I deserve it for behaving as I did. I knew it was a poor arrangement from the start!”
His anger now began returning. The blonde man cried, “So that is why you slept with me! To keep your precious company together! To build your own career, using me as a stepping stone!”
“If you want to think that!”
“Then you will use me no longer,” he said. “I am leaving you and the company.”
It was her turn to plead, “Do what you like about me. But do not desert the company. You will close the theatre and put many innocent people out of work.”
“I don’t give a damn about the theatre, or the precious company! I never have!” he told her.
“Now you are being truthful!”
“I’m taking the train to New York,” he said. “You can explain to your beloved company! “ And He hurried out of the room and slammed the door after him.
As soon as he was out of the room she dropped into the nearest chair and began to sob aloud. Not only because he had chosen to destroy the company but because of the dreadful things which he’d said to her. He had exposed himself as a shallow, wealthy man used to buying what he wanted and enraged if anything were taken from him. She had feared her liaison with him from the start. Now she had all too truly been proven right.
After her initial emotional reaction she began to try and make some plans. The understudy could play for the afternoon performance of The Rivals . But tonight the company was scheduled to do Richelieu and she knew the young man, while he might know the lines, was not equal to playing the famous Cardinal. Peter had been no more than adequate in it but had insisted on it being including in their schedule.
She would have to send a telegram to Barnum and ask his advice. She would also check at the box-office and see if the house was well sold out. Lately all the evening performances had been crowded, with a number of standees at the back. The city was filled with troops on leave or waiting to go to the front, many of them young officers who enjoyed an evening in the theatre. In many, cases the last they would ever experience. Her heart was tormented by the sight of the earnest, young faces as the junior officers stood to applaud her at the end of a performance.
To disappoint such patrons was almost traitorous. It showed what she had always suspected, that Peter had no true love for the theatre.
She went downstairs and checked to see if Peter Cortez had truly checked out of the hotel. The puzzled clerk told her that he had. He said, “He left a while ago for the railway station. He took only one bag with him. The rest are to be packed for him and sent on to his hotel in New York.”
“I see,” she said, knowing there was no longer any hope of his changing his mind. It was settled now.
The clerk asked, “Did he have some bad news?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“What about the plays? Will they go on?” the clerk wanted to know.
“I hope so,” she said. And she gave the clerk a look of concern. “I would appreciate your not mentioning this to anyone.”
“Very well,
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