Show the thirteenth th tee in I 1 st a by commandment C ou M ni 1 l ani e i RUPERT HUGHES copyright by harper brothers ers jill 1111 jill 1 THANKS TO DUANE DAPHNE GETS THE CHANCE TO BECOME AN ACTRESS IF SHE CAN MAKE GOOD synopsis clay wimburn a young new yorker on a visit to cleveland meets pretty daphne kip whose brother Is in n the same office with clay in wall street after a whirlwind courtship they become engaged clay buys arf an engagement ring on oil credit and returns to new york daphne agrees to an early marriage find and after extracting from her money worried father what she regards as a sufficient sum of money for the purpose she goes to new york with her mother to buy her trousseau daphnes brother bayard has just married and left for europe with ills his bride leila daphne and her mother install themselves in Ba bayaras bayards yards slat flat wimburn introduces daphne and her mother to luxurious new york life daphne meets tom dunne man about town who seems greatly attracted to her daphne accidentally discovers that clay Is penniless except for ills salary daynard and his wife return to new york unexpectedly the three women set out on a shopping excursion and the two younger women buy expensive gowns having them charged to B bayard bayard Is furious over the expense seeing hard times ahead daphne indignant declares she will earn her own living and breaks her engagement with clay CHAPTER IX daphne bent her head so quickly that his pressed lips touched her hair she flung filing backward and thrust him away and broke from his hold agh she groaned 1 IT I suppose I 1 deserve the insult for trusting you 1 I intend it for an insult ile he followed her with pleading arms she backed away and found folind herself in a corner flushed furious at bay now illow dare you she stormed and thought with nausea be how r often the phrase had bad been used a and with what hypocrisy it seemed to fall familiarly on his ear for he laughed lau glied comfortably comfor tabi y now how can I 1 help it if you touch me rii ill in ill mt hit you jou 11 ile he paused stared deep into her it yes eyes do you moan mean it of course I 1 mean it im sorry he sighed but wont you let me explain you dont have to its all my fault for inviting you here oh no I 1 beg you not to think that im such a end cad please go all right he murmured red and left the room she heard his stick rattle as lie he took it from the umbrella jar she thought there goes my opportunity my career well let it go it worth the price deandy appeared at the door again to say oh by the way that introduction to mr reben do you still want it no thank you not from you goodby lie ile bowed farewell then changed his mind entered the room and sat down and motioned her to a seat as it if it were his bis house miss kip may I 1 say one word to you I 1 dont pretend to understand you women people im not sure now just how bow sincere you are just how much of a ninny you may think me for being rebuffed so BO easily experience Is no guide but well anyway ehst I 1 wanted to say is this there Is hardly any man that would even bottler a woman unwilling to be bothered if he could only be certain that he was really bothering her do I 1 make myself clear not in the least well then I 1 give up but I 1 must leave you a bit of advice you say you ten want to earn money it if you do 74 T C Z A lr il 11 pa I 1 h z and may I 1 arrange for you to meet reben on the stage or in any other business you will meet a lot of men who will feel it their duty to try to kiss you at the first opportunity its not only because you are so BO pretty for I 1 really believe the homeliest hom bomel eliest lest girls pet get the most hisses perhaps its liec because linse m n t so particular cular but b anyway its vit men inen are C villains 1111 tir that try to kiss women but because obliging there Is an via cm I 1 dont know how false it Is or how true no roan man can know but there Is a tradition that every woman expects every man she meets to offer her an insult the technical term as soon as they are alone that feeling is what women are going to run into every time they try to force their way into business it will dle die out I 1 suppose to a certain 1 extent as you crowd into our field it will be one of the last brivil privileges ages lose lobe youre already permitted to stand up in street cars and go out after dark alone by and by you will have to make your advances to the men yourselves in the frankest m manner an instead of subtly is as now daphne broke in coldly that will be a very welcome vel come day to most of us somehow it did not sound convincing to her there was grave conviction however in his response it will be a mighty welcome day to us poor men miss aliss kip for most men the faintest desire to spoon with women its hard enough for some of them to keep their own sweethearts and wives sufficiently caressed then theres another thing it if im not boring you I 1 made as long a speech since I 1 was a schoolboy and recited spartacus to the gladiators go on please said daphne A woman often get the chance of hearing a man tell the truth about these things her sarcasm chilled him a little but he went on 1 I just want to say this its an old mans advice to a young woman going antof business when a man asks for a job he brings references and they are investigated or he answers a lot of questions and he is given a trial or when two men meet in a club or elsewhere they shake hands that handshake itself Is a kind of investigation vesti gation of character they learn each others politics and religion and prejudices as soon as they can so when nhen a man meets a woman he Is apt to be thrown with a good deal he la Is apt to say what sort Is she but the thing that annoys a man most about having to do business with a woman Is the fear that lie he will either compromise her or disappoint her tile the first problem to get out of the way and theres nothing easier for a woman to do than to convince a man that slie she want I 1 him 1 lin to try to flirt with her if she donsil t 1 daphne cried in heavens name tell me how its done the way to convince him Is to be convinced yourself if youre sincere lie hell 11 know it I 1 1 but I 1 was sincere with you and you know it 1 I know it at first but I 1 soon did I 1 think tind and now what im driving at all tills this long while it if youre going into business competition men play fair every now and then one of them as soon as he be finds himself alone with you will be ba polite enough to insult you but the average man will let you alone it if let him alone suppose lie he does make a mistaken advance if you could be sensible enough not to get mad not to feel besmirched but just take it as a matter ot of course and say frankly no thanks im not interested I 1 understand der stand you perfectly but you bother or something like that and say it bo honestly nestly the rest would be plain sailing and now it if forgive me for talking fall icik your arm olt off and if prove it by letting me help you ill promise never to kiss hiss you or try to till till you ask me to daphne laughed refresh edly at his impudence and he laughed as well as he be might and they shook hands with and may I 1 arrange tor for you to meet reben 1 I hate to ask you now ive no right to trouble you but im terribly anxious to get a job and im terribly anxious to get you one youie a nv fully awfully kind hind she said and led him to the telephone she felt that it would be indel indelicate leate to listen and went back into the living room ot of the apartment till e dunne joined her in a few moments with the terrifying news that reben clebon had said that he might have a chance to place her at once if she could come to his office without delay opportunity bouncing out at her like a jack ln in the box alarmed her but she faced it pluckily pluck lly she put on her hat with trembling hands and went down in ia the elevator with duane they went up in an elevator at one side of the lobby of the theater and stepped out at debens office door A number of somber and despondent persons of a theatrical complexion were waiting there also the wretched Laza Lazar uses of art duane duana spoke to a respectful office boy who disappeared through a door and returned to beckon him in with heart bounding high and bubbling at her throat daphne entered the theatrical world by one of its most gilded portals the great reben heben sat bulkily behind tin an ornate table desk and I 1 dismissed a still more ornate stenographer waw a nod as he rose to greet duane duane did the honors mr reben I 1 want to present you to miss kip miss daphne kip reben greeted her with suavity and ills his eyes were even more enthusiastic than his words daphne was at her superlative degree and anxiety gave her a wistfulness that was appealing to reben charms and ful nesses made up a large part of his wares in trade nave have you had any experience none studied elocution never I 1 never spoke a piece in my life good amateur theatricals never I 1 never seemed to care for them better cef yet what makes you think you want ant to act now money I 1 want to earn moneys money get rich 1 I see said reben and fell into a profound meditation studying daphne searchingly duane seized the opportunity to rise and say well ill leave you two together to talk terms it would be indelicate for me to know just how bow rich aless kip Is going to be ile he had no sooner gone than debens manner changed slightly and daphnes courage vanished reben paced the floor as he talked ills his path kept slowly closing in around her like the walls la in poes story you look like miss rembie kemble lie he said you have somewhat the same temperament you like her style of play that may be your line I 1 cant tell of course I 1 dont know how well you can act perhaps you never could kemble Is great but she comes of an old theatrical family of course you have one great capital your beauty for you are very beautiful miss kip very let me see your eyes 1 ire he had a right to ask if he were going to hire her eyes but she looked up cravenly tra venly for the burly satrap was leaning over her his left hand was on the arm of the chair his right on tile the back of it ills left hand was gradually enveloping hers it was a tat fat hot hand and his face was so close that it was blurred in her vision then she remembered duanes words she controlled herself enough to put them to the test she pretended to look coldly into face and she said ailta ith a brave show of calm calin sir air reben I 1 come here to flirt with you and I 1 dont intend to I 1 came here for a job as an actress if this sort of thing is a necessary part of the job ill go somewhere else reben backed away and stared at her lie ile was rendered foolish by lier her rebuff and he stammered why I 1 I 1 meant no harm barm she went on with the duane system of treatment 1 I know you you nl meant ant to be polite but you dont have to be so polite to me I 1 dont expect it and I 1 dont like it all right all right reben growled pacing the floor again but in a constantly receding path lie ile did not speak ne he felt that he had made a fool of himself and he was embarrassed daphne was so frightened with her success cess that she got to her feet s saying ay 1 I suppose this means that you dont want we me to work tor for you you its true then what they say about the stage nonsense of course not rot I 1 I 1 never see most of my people except at rehearsals or performances ive never spoken to three quarters of em cm if you want a job you can have it and no concessions are necessary you dont have to make love to me you make love hive to the audience and if you can capture that you can slap alap my face every time i 3 ou on see me daphne was astounded she was engaged she was exultant and thrilled with gratitude to duane for introducing her to this marvelous opportunity port unity and for the wisdom of ills his counsel reben said the general understudy of the kemble company has grown tire tired d of waiting for a chonce to appear in public ashes quitting me this week for a small part in a road company you can have her place it if you want it do you Y you ou bet er indeed I 1 do how often does docs an understudy play As rarely as possible daphnes joy turned to lead reben added but we dont pay by performances ill pay you on a week you wanted mon money e y theres a little of it for a start do you want iff it will it lead to anything better it might am I 1 to understudy miss hiss K kemble emble yes tes arid and all tho the other women roles and when do you suppose ill get a chance to play miss keables Kem bles part soon never I 1 hope encouraging I 1 if miss kemble fell III wed ordinarily refund the money because ashes the star but sometimes we in might ight have to give a performance at short notice chances in the other parts might come any day and give me a better chance when you can indeed I 1 will if you have the gift the sooner I 1 find it out and the harder I 1 work it the more money I 1 make the more you earn the more I 1 make id like to pay you ten tea thousand a week id like to have you all right ill try he pressed a button on his desk once then twice the office boy appeared followed by the stenographer reben said to the boy Is mr batterson here send him to me to the stenographer he said fill out a contract formless for miss kip miss the first name miss daphne kip salary twenty five make it a three year contract reben motioned her absently to her h tr chair and said rather for duanes duane sake than for hers she felt sit down wont you till the contracts come and pardon me if I 1 lie ile finished the phrase by the deed the office routine went on and daphne might have been the chair she sat in for all the attention he paid her she felt rather ungallantly ignored still she had asked to be treated on a business basis he was taking her at her word before the contracts were ready mr batterson appeared he was one of debens stage managers a worried emotional little man worn to shreds with his task of stimulating and correcting the emotions by which others earned their wages and fame reben introduced him to daphne and explained her new office batterson seemed none too well pleased with the news that daphne was ignorant of stage work to the last degree he had found it hard enough to make the experienced actors read the their ir lines as they must be read and keep on reading them so to teach this dramatic infant how to walk and talk was an unwelcome labor he took daphne into his office and pulled out a set of parts when she stumbled over them he cast his eyes heavenward in his swift impatience he explained them with a vinegary gentleness ile he talked to her of the canons of interpretation he walked through her scenes and spoke her lines for her again and again and yet again but somehow mellow so he could not teach her he tried everything blit beating her he flattered her wheedled her parodied satirized satirizes zed rebuked her and occasionally he cursed her she did not rebel even against his profanity because she had no confidence in herself to support her resistance she felt that she was tar far worse than lie said she was when lie he said she was worst she used all lier her funds of resolution in keeping from throwing down the part and running away in tears site she had none left for asserting her right to politeness once daphne was out in the street again and released from the ordeal of pleasing datterson batterson youth and ambition brought hope back again broadway at twilight was with enthusiasm thusia sm and she caught zest from the crowds she was going home to study carrying lier her little set of textbooks like a schoolgirl but she felt the wings ot of conquest fledging at her ankles or the wheel of fortune spinning under her toes lier her very first effort had succeeded she was a woman oman with a salary she sil would be no longer a parasite on any man she had a career |