Audrey

Haward shrugged his shoulders, but would not turn his head, and thereby

grant recognition to Jean Hugon, the trader. Did he so, the half-breed

might break into speech, provoke a quarrel, make God knew what assertion,

what disturbance. To-morrow steps should be taken--Ah, the curtain!

The silence deepened, and men and women leaned forward holding their

breath. Darden's Audrey, robed and crowned as Arpasia, sat alone in the

Sultan's tent, staring before her with wide dark eyes, then slowly rising

began to speak. A sound, a sigh as of wonder, ran from the one to the

other of the throng that watched her. Why did she look thus, with

contracted brows, toward one quarter of the house? What inarticulate words

was she uttering? What gesture, quickly controlled, did she make of

ghastly fear and warning? And now the familiar words came halting from her

lips:-"'Sure 'tis a horror, more than darkness brings,

That sits upon the night!'"

With the closing words of her speech the audience burst into a great storm

of applause. 'Gad! how she acts! But what now? Why, what is this?

It was quite in nature and the mode for an actress to pause in the middle

of a scene to curtsy thanks for generous applause, to smile and throw a

mocking kiss to pit and boxes, but Darden's Audrey had hitherto not

followed the fashion. Also it was not uncustomary for some spoiled

favorite of a player to trip down, between her scenes, the step or two

from the stage to the pit, and mingle with the gallants there, laugh,

jest, accept languishing glances, audacious comparisons, and such weighty

trifles as gilt snuffboxes and rings of price.

But this player had not

heretofore honored the custom; moreover, at present she was needed upon

the stage. Bajazet must thunder and she defy; without her the play could

not move, and indeed the actors were now staring with the audience. What

was it? Why had she crossed the stage, and, slowly, smilingly, beautiful

and stately in her gleaming robes, descended those few steps which led to

the pit? What had she to do there, throwing smiling glances to right and

left, lightly waving the folk, gentle and simple, from her path, pressing

steadily onward to some unguessed-at goal.

As though held by a spell they

watched her, one and all,--Haward, Evelyn, the Governor, the man in the

cloak, every soul in that motley assemblage. The wonder had not time to

dull, for the moments were few between her final leave-taking of those

boards which she had trodden supreme and the crashing and terrible chord

which was to close the entertainment of this night.