Her elbow was on the back of the settle and close to his shoulder.His face caught the glow from the fire.

"0h, I'm all right, I assure you," he exclaimed.

"You _do_ look better," observed Carolyn on her own account."This air is everything. 0nly a few hours of it----"

"Another bit of wood on the fire, if you please, Carolyn," saidher patroness.

"Let me do it," exclaimed Cope. He rose quickly and laid on a stickor two. He remained standing on the edge of the glow. He hopednobody would say again that he was looking rather thin andpale.

"And what is Mr. Lemoyne doing this evening?" presentlyasked Mrs. Phillips in a dreamy undertone. Her manner was casualand negligent; her voice was low and leisurely. She seemedto place Lemoyne at a distance of many, many leagues. "Rehearsing,I suppose?"

"Yes," said in reply Cope. "This very recent play has absorbed him completely."

"He will do well?"

"He always does. He always has."

"Men in girls' parts are so amusing," exclaimed Carolyn. "Theirwalk is so very heavy and clumsy, even if their dancing isn't. Andwhen they speak up in those huge deep bass and baritonevoices...!"