" That's done , " said Mr. Leverton to Etta .sx " It's a pleasure to sit opposite a soothing frock like yours .sx " Etta laughed and felt at ease .sx After all , nonentity as she was , she had to herself one of the chief celebrities in the room .sx And most people in the room must be asking :sx " Who's that girl alone with Maurice ?sx " Sad thought that probably not one of them recognized Ruth Ruthven ; and few of them had any recollection of the existence of such a being !sx She furtively examined Mr. Leverton's face while Mr. Leverton watched the pouring out of champagne .sx A thin , lined face .sx Eyes kindly , with cynicism .sx He smiled benevolently at the waiter for one-tenth of a second .sx His brown hair was the hair of a son , but his face was the face of a father of sons .sx He was extremely at home in this noisy world of the Circle Club , but he did not seem to belong to it , nor to have sprung from the world of revue and musical comedy .sx Having played vamp parts , Etta accepted as quite normal the marital and other infidelities which were the invariable theme of drawing-room comedies , and she was aware that Mr. Leverton's comedies dealt with nothing else .sx Revue and musical comedy , however , of which she knew little , she understood were far more egregious and had for sole jocular aim the glorification of licence sexual and alcoholic , and the ridiculing of moralists .sx Yet Mr. Leverton himself was quiet , austere ; he had no air of a Bacchus , but rather that of a plain , reserved man who privately condemned all forms of excess and disorder .sx Perhaps he had perceived in herself a similar , an understanding soul .sx And almost certainly his reputation was all wrong .sx " I meant to tell you this afternoon , but I put it off too long .sx So I'll begin now by telling you I'm writing a new play no , not the one going into rehearsal another one .sx And I think there's a part in it that would do for you .sx Not the lead , but quite a part .sx I've finished two acts .sx I'd like you to read them .sx " He spoke in a murmuring , confidential tone , and leaned a little towards her across the table .sx He might just as well have knocked Etta breathless with a bully's fist , or pitched her suddenly into a lake and left her to struggle gasping to the surface unaided .sx To offer her a good part was sufficiently confounding ; but to invite her to read an unfinished comedy by the famous Maurice Leverton .sx .. Good heavens !sx On his own admission he had never even seen her act .sx He no doubt had fully inquired as to her , but what did that amount to ?sx She was ineffably happy .sx Happiness rushed violently into her heart , her brains , her toes ; she could .sx feel happiness in her shoulders ; it glistened in her eyes ; it swirled about her in shimmering muslin clouds .sx It made her beautiful , attractive , well-dressed , gracious .sx " That would be too lovely , " she said , exquisitely conscious again of the feeling of power .sx " I'm quite dazed .sx " " You seem to me to be keeping your nerve fairly well , " Mr. Leverton replied , with a heavenly , honest smile , but also with a slight sardonic lowering of the corners of his mouth .sx " Is it a vamp part ?sx " .sx " No , miss !sx " he said firmly .sx " You may have played vamp parts all your life , and brilliantly , but I don't see you in a vamp part .sx No , miss !sx " .sx He understood her !sx Bliss !sx If the people in the room could have heard the conversation , some of them would have opened their eyes .sx " I won't say what kind of a part it is .sx I'll leave you to put your own construction on it .sx By the way , there's your friend , Agatha Something .sx " He had remembered His side-glance directed hers .sx She saw Stocky , four tables off , sitting by herself , at a table set for two ; not eating ; there was no food on the table ; waiting .sx Poor thing !sx her Christian name but not her surname .sx How absurdly unjust Etta had been to imagine that he had invited Stocky as well as herself to the Circle that night !sx An insane notion !sx " So she is !sx " said Etta , calmly .sx " Who's she expecting ?sx " .sx " Don't ask me , " Etta answered .sx " Because I don't know in the least .sx " Tone not quite correct ( she thought) .sx " I've never noticed her here before , " said he .sx " No ?sx " .sx " No .sx I'm sick of vamps , " he went on , gazing at Etta .sx " I mean in my plays , " he added , and Etta surmized that the last words were intended to clear himself of any suspicion of having made a sly allusion to Stocky .sx He then , judicial and rapidly murmuring , began to belittle the public taste in drama , at considerable length .sx In a short while he was anathematizing the public taste with a calm and sustained bitterness .sx His analysis of it was acute and witty , now and then epigrammatic .sx What a brilliant man !sx He said everything that Etta thought .sx She had only to concur and concur .sx She was astonished and proud that they should think thus alike .sx Twin minds that was what they were !sx And even when he said , lightly :sx " Of course you have to give 'em what they want , as well as you can , same as Shakespeare , otherwise where'd you be ?sx " even then she completely .sx sympathized with him and had no impulse to accuse him , silently , of prostituting his gifts and being content to continue in prostitution when his high , secure place and his wealth should have prompted him to try the experiment of affronting the public .sx He had said " of course " , and it was " of course " !sx He was so honest , so matter-of-fact , artistically so unpretentious .sx He accepted facts , put on no frills , and offered as little excuse for himself as for the golden , stupid public .sx " Well , " he finished , " I don't know another woman I'd have said all that to .sx Somehow you've drawn it out of me .sx " He was getting intimate .sx She felt flattered ; but in his voice there was an inflection ( it seemed to her sensitiveness ) indicating amorous approach .sx It raised in her no responsive sentiment ; she did not object to it ; no reasonable girl could have objected to it .sx But it did arouse in her , despite her reason , the defensive instincts of the Canonbury virgin .sx She said nothing ; her stare was blank .sx If he was dashed well , she could not help that !sx The meal was concluding .sx Glasses had scarcely been touched .sx Suddenly he said :sx " I say , it is a shame about your Agatha , sitting there all by herself and not eating or anything !sx Some careless fool has let her down .sx Suppose I asked her to come here ?sx D'you mind ?sx " .sx A hard , a dizzying blow for Etta , as unexpected as a kick after a caress !sx She was shaken .sx " Not at all , " she replied politely .sx " Shall I tell her you suggested it ?sx " Mr. Leverton was already on his feet .sx " No , because I didn't , " Etta smiled cautiously .sx " But I'd love it .sx " The assent cost her a pang .sx A sinister fancy jumped into her brain .sx Stocky had got wind of the rendezvous with Mr. Leverton .sx Her own rendezvous was a pretence .sx The swain had not arrived because he was non-existent .sx Stocky had come in the hope that what was about to happen would indeed happen .sx She could believe anything of Stocky .sx She knew what women were .sx But her happiness was unimpaired , though the thought did cross her mind , as she envisaged Stocky's empty bed :sx " Without Stocky's share , how shall I manage to live until he's finished his play and had it produced with me in it ?sx Might be a year !sx " To which the answer was :sx " I shall manage somehow .sx There are lots of ways .sx " Yes , her happiness was unclouded , and she was far , far above Stocky .sx Would he ever have invited Stocky to read one of his unfinished plays ?sx She was above every other woman in the room , no matter how smart .sx Stocky strolled loosely towards the table .sx " I needn't introduce you , " Mr. Leverton laughed .sx " Hello , darling !sx " Stocky saluted , with amazing sweetness .sx " Well , darling !sx " Etta saluted , and gave the serpent a fair imitation of a loving smile .sx Depths of duplicity in those greetings , horrid depths ; and Mr. Leverton suspected naught !sx A good , kindly fellow and all men were simpletons .sx A woman would have read the emotions of Etta and Stocky in an instant .sx Thus Etta .sx Mr. Leverton beckoned to a waiter to lay a third cover .sx Etta made space for Stocky on the saffron-coloured plush bench .sx Agatha elaborately settled herself .sx " It's most terribly nice of you , " said Stocky , drawling .sx " But I'm not grand enough for this company .sx " " You don't mean it , but it's truer than you think , my girl , " Etta said to herself .sx Then a young man came hurrying up , short , apoplectically red , very sleek , and oleaginous as to his black hair , Stocky's missing swain .sx He talked rapidly and in detail of a motor-mishap at Croydon .sx Stocky glowered darkly thunderous at him ; her full nether lip hung offended and wrathful as she rose to move away with him to her original table , where she could vent her high displeasure at ease and at length .sx Her eyes were burning with the intention to make him pay for his gross and to her humiliating unpunctuality .sx She had suffered and he should suffer .sx She wanted to have him to herself for a row , and she did not care if the whole room saw the row .sx She was an offended Cleopatra and he a poor slave whom she had chosen and would punish .sx Her sense and exhibition of power startled and shamed Etta , who forgot for the moment that once more she had suspected Stocky unjustly of chicane .sx But Mr. Leverton , who knew the young man , took hold of the unpleasant situation .sx " No you don't , " said he , rather masterfully , with a certain dryness in his urbane man-of-the-world voice .sx " Miss er your young lady is my guest now .sx You'll have to be my guest too .sx I can't have my party broken up .sx Sit there , next to Miss Wickhamsted .sx You sit here , Miss er Agatha .sx " Stocky , who at once yielded , was thus opposite to the criminal and the criminal was by Etta's side .sx Etta felt sorry for the threatened slave , who , prudently ignoring Stocky , turned towards Etta's sympathy for shelter .sx And Etta enjoyed giving him shelter ; she hoped that Stocky would be jealous .sx " Are you on the stage ?sx " she asked the young man , to whom she had not been introduced , and smiled invitingly .sx " Oh , bless you , no .sx Wish I was !sx " he replied .sx " I'm in the City .sx In the firm that does Mr. Lever-ton's stockbroking business .sx " He leaned almost against her .sx " I don't know whether you've ever been in a motor mess , " he went on , full of his own misfortunes and innocence .sx " But I can tell you it's a dashed nuisance .sx You see " he entered upon a copious description of what had happened to him , still talking rapidly , as rapidly as Mr. Leverton talked , but with a clearer enunciation .sx Etta listened benevolently , nodding now and then to show that she understandingly followed his eager narrative .sx She was his balm and comfort .sx She gazed into his eyes as if entranced by this history of the recent drama at Croydon .sx Then a waiter arrived with yet another apparatus of knives , forks , spoons , and plates .sx The swain had to lift his elbow .sx And then , though she was not looking at them and though the body of the waiter intervened , Etta saw Mr. Leverton and Stocky get up from the table and recede in the direction of the dancing-floor .sx She was sure that neither of them had spoken .sx Therefore they must have agreed by a sign .sx Already Mr. Leverton had called Stocky by her Christian name .sx True , he had used the ` Miss ' , and probably he had for the second time that night allowed her surname to slip from him .sx Nevertheless , he had called her by her Christian name , her to whom he had been presented only a few hours earlier .sx Stocky was progressing .sx Oh yes , she was progressing .sx How did she manage it ?sx Etta knew how she managed it .sx