Presently she seemed to feel that he was looking at her, for she turned
her head to him and met his eyes. He came forward at once, and the
others made way for him a little, for most of them knew him by sight as
the famous financier, though he rarely condescended to come behind the
scenes at a rehearsal, or indeed at any other time.
Margaret held out her hand, and Logotheti had just begun to say a few
rather conventional words of congratulation when Schreiermeyer rushed
up with his hat on, pushing everybody aside without ceremony till he
seized Margaret's wrist and would apparently have dragged her away by
main force if she had not gone with him willingly.
'Ill-mannered brute!' exclaimed Logotheti in such a tone that
Schreiermeyer must certainly have heard the words, though he did not
even turn his head.
'I must speak to you at once,' he was saying to Margaret, very
hurriedly, as he led her away. 'It is all bosh, nonsense, stupid stuff,
I tell you! Rubbish!' 'What is rubbish?' asked Margaret in surprise, just as they reached the
other side of the stage. 'My singing?' 'Stuff! You sing well enough. You know it too, you know it quite well!
Good. Are you satisfied with the contract we signed?' 'Perfectly,' answered Margaret, more and more surprised at his manner.
'Ah, very good. Because, I tell you, if you are not pleased, it is just
the same. I will make you stick to it, whether you like it or not.
Understand?' Margaret drew herself up, and looked at him coldly.
'If I carry out my contract,' she said, 'it will be because I signed my
name to it, not because you can force me to do anything against my
will.' Schreiermeyer turned a little pale and glared through his glasses.
'Ah, you are proud, eh? You say to yourself, "First I am a lady, and
then I am a singer that is going to be a prima donna." But the law is
on my side. The law will give me heavy damages, enormous damages, if
you fail to appear according to contract. You think because you have
money in your throat somebody will pay me my damages if you go to
somebody else. You don't know the law, my lady! I can get an injunction
to prevent you from singing anywhere in Europe, pending suit. The other
man will have to pay me before you can open your beautiful mouth to let
the money out! Just remember that! You take my advice. You be an artist
first and a lady afterwards when you have plenty of time, and you stick
to old Schreiermeyer, and he'll stick to you. No nonsense, now, no
stupid stuff! Eh?' 'I haven't the slightest idea what you are driving at,' said Margaret.
'I have made an agreement with you, and unless I lose my voice during
the next month I shall sing wherever you expect me to.' 'All right, because if you don't, I'll make you dance from here to
Jerusalem,' answered Schreiermeyer, glaring again.