A Woman's Privilege

Prologue

I I. FOR ART'S SAKE 8 II. A STEP HIGHER l8 III. AN OUTSIDE OPINION ON AN IMPROBABLE POSSIBILITY 27 IV. LACON 40 V. THE POSSIBILITIES OF AN APRIL DAY 47 VI. ADRIAN'S STORY 58 VII. THE IMPROBABLE POSSIBILITY BECOMES THE ACCOM- PLISHED FACT 63 VIII. THE DEMOLITION OF A CASTLE 74 IX. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES 87 X. A FRAUDULENT AFFAIR 99 XI. WITH INTENTION TO DECEIVE IIO XII. AN AUDITING OF ACCOUNTS 119 XIII. A COMPLICATION I34 XIV. THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE I43 XV. MR. SUTHERLAND TAKES UP HIS POSITION 151 XVI. TERMINABLE AT HER PLEASURE 1 59 XVII. RECOGNITION 166 XVIII. THE PART OF A FRIEND 174 CONTENTS

Part II Chap

PAGE I. TWO IN A GARDEN I°I II. THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER J94 III. THE STAR OF EGYPT 204 IV. A DISCORD IN THE GARDEN 2I5 V. CARROLL 232 VI. THE OTHER ONE 244 VII. HOSTILITIES 257 VIII. A DESERT JOURNEY 274 IX. ZANOUSI 285 X. REBECCA 302 XI. THE WAYS OF ZANOUSI 310 XII. THE RUSSIAN 337 XIII. DANGER 360 XIV. THE WHITE WALL 371 XV. THE HEART THAT SPOKE 381 XVI. ONE'S FORMER SINS 387 XVII. THE IRONY OF THE THING 4OO XVIII. CANCELLED 4I4 XIX. AS IT SHOULD BE

PROLOGUE.

" Oh, how flat, how unspeakably dull and unprofit able must be those lives that have no ambitions, no dreams to realise, no future for which to live ! " She spread out her hands in despairing pity for such unfortunate lives. " I have a double ambition," he said, looking at her admiringly. They had come to a standstill on an old half ruined bridge that spanned the ornamental water of the park, and was of little use save as ornament itself, so old, dilapidated, and grass-grown were its grey stones. The girl was still excited by their long talk of the days to come ; the man, too, was thinking of the future, but not wholly in connection with the ambitious plans they had just mapped out together. To the girl the plans were everything ; to the man they were but the avenue leading to House Beautiful where his companion was to reign queen on the throne he would build for her.

" We left you ambassador in Rome ; what more can your Excellency desire ? " she asked, laughing. 2 • " I should not care to be ambassador — and still be alone." This time she did not laugh, but smiled, because she knew what was coming, and he knew she read his mind. It would have been strange if she had not. They had known each other many years, and he had made love to her quietly but assiduously for the past twelve months. " I have not asked you before," he said in a breathless manner, " because I had but vague prospects to offer you. Now I have been given my chance, and will you give me a good reason for following it up all I know ? " She did not answer, but looked out over the quiet water with eyes that still smiled. " You know I have been dependent on my uncle all my life, and that though he does his best for me, yet now I must carve out my own future for myself.

I can do it, and I will, Alleyne, if I have a reward in view. You know I love you — that I can never love any one else. You know that, my dear ? " She nodded, and put her hand over his. " You love your plans too, Adrian ? " " Yes — if to accomplish them means to win you. Let me have that hope, and I will do everything ; but I must have the hope. A year or two — they will soon pass — and I will have a position and name to give you. I think you do love me, Alleyne."

PROLOGUE.

3 He held her hand in his firmly, and she did not draw it away. " What of my dreams and my ambitions, Adrian ?" she said slowly. " Have I not just been offered my chance too ? What of my plans ? " "They will keep you occupied till I claim you, dear. It won't be long — indeed it won't." " But it must be long if I — if we are to realise any of our dreams, Adrian. And indeed — indeed, I think it is all a dream ; for how can you ever marry an actress, even if you only attain your smallest ambitions ? Sir Jasper would never, never hear of it ; society would not hear of it." " He has nothing to do with it, and society still less. Besides, I should be marrying the sweetest lady in all the land ; and if she has added fame to her dear name, why I am the more honoured." " Your friends will never think so," she persisted.

" Your friends will say you are throwing yourself away on a penniless secretary — that is what I shall be then. One's salary counts for nothing, you know," he added, laughing ; then his face grew suddenly grave. " I should be taking you away from your work though, Alleyne, just as you reach your zenith." " That's what I should wish," she replied, laughing herself now. " My dear Adrian, by the time you are secretary to the embassy at Rome I shall probably be still toiling the weary round of the provinces. That is just the reason why you could not marry me." " Are you trying to make objections ? " he said, " Don't you care for me after all, Alleyne ? " A little smile again hovered round the dimpled corners of her mouth. " Of course you know I love you, Adrian ; but I love my ambition too, as dearly as you do yours " — dearer, her heart told her, but she would not hurt him — "and you know what my old master told me when he sent me this offer for Dunford's company : ' If you can bear the schooling of the provinces and bring an undivided attention to your work you will succeed ; but Art is an exacting mistress who brooks no rival ; meet her heartwhole or fail — fail ! ' " she repeated in a whisper, and her mouth straightened.

"You will not fail," he said in his curiously assured manner. " But, Alleyne, I think that your art is my rival." " Then you are Art's," she answered, " and I must fail, if that is true." "You will not fail," he repeated, "though I think you are not heartwhole." " No, I am not," she confessed, and he put an end to further confession in the orthodox way. The blackbirds sang loudly. The moon up there in the sky might almost fancy him a new serenader, but he sang to the setting sun and the glory of a day that was passing. " Adrian," said the girl presendy, " what do you really wish to do — wish me to do, I mean ? " " I want you to be my wife," he said instantly. " Is it difficult to promise ? "

PROLOGUE.

5 " No, not at all ; but Adrian No, stay there, and listen to reason." " The words of the wise are "Valuable and scarce ! So obey and listen. I am serious, Adrian. You know your uncle recom mended you to Lord Hallingford as secretary because his last secretary became engaged, and Lord Hallingford dislikes engaged men. I heard Sir Jasper tell you this." " Quite true ; it was my chief recommendation," with a sigh. " It was not ; it was one, however. Do you want our engagement to be secret ? " "No. How can you think so?" he answered promptly and rather indignantly. " Do you mean to announce it to Sir Jasper before you go ? " This time he had no answer ready. " If Sir Jasper did not refuse to have anything more to do with you, your chance of favour with Lord Hallingford would be gone. Now, you know as well as I do that Lord Hallingford can push your fortunes for you if you please him.

Adrian, I want you to understand that I love you too well to stand in your light. I knew you would not have a secret engagement, and I will not permit you to ruin your chances by an open one. Look at our ages 1 " she laughed. " Twenty and twenty-three ! Why, it is ridiculous. I should not think of marrying for five years at least ! " " Then what will you have ? " " What we had this morning— friendship. It is a very good thing, Adrian ; be content. Let us both stand free to follow our ambitions for five or six years ! " He was horrified ; he would not have it so. She was cold, she did not care for him. Well, she might consider herself free, but he was bound to her for ever and ever, and a great deal more foolishness which she combatted with a quaint, practical wisdom. She had her way, or part of it, at last.

They were to work for each other in their respective spheres — Adrian in the world of politics, Alleyne in that reflected world of stageland — for five years. During that time they were to corre spond as of old, but to mention no word of love or marriage ; and at the end of the five years Adrian might formally renew his offer (if he would), and Alleyne might accept it (if she would), however near or far they might still be from their city of dreams and the House Beautiful. "And supposing we change our minds, and like some one else in that time ? " suggested Alleyne teasingly. Adrian's face clouded. " Then all I ask, dear, is that you tell me so candidly," he said quietly. There was a little pause, and she did not press the point, half repentant of her careless sug gestion. " It is not as if we had only known each other a few weeks," continued Adrian, " but you have

PROLOGUE.

7 had five years to discover whether you liked me or not." " I hated you for the first two," she rejoined saucily, "and tolerated you for the next two." "And the fifth ?" he queried. But she shook her head and refused to answer. A little breeze ran down the hillside and crinkled the reflection in the still waters, dying away in faint whispering laughter among the weeds and willows. The lake and the bridge were in shadow, but the setting sun still shone red on the hill to the right ; the newly budding trees stood out against the sky crimsoned with the long, low rays. The blackbirds and thrushes sang, sang loudly, a hymn of thanks giving. To-day was fair ; thank God for fairness past ! All the glory of the sky assembled at the western gate of heaven, and the girl's eyes glistened as she shielded them from the light.

" To-morrow will be fairer still," she whispered. Perhaps the birds were wiser who rejoiced in the fairness passing now. They went up the hill together, but before they reached the top the glory of the sky had died away into quiet grey, with just a faint remem brance of past beauty on the far horizon.

PART I CHAPTER

I FOR ART'S SAKE " Who does the best his circumstance allows, Does well, acts nobly." Young. How Basford came to possess a theatre at all was a puzzle to most people, and especially to the unhappy companies that brought their ventures to that port. Basford was, properly speaking, an ecclesiastical battlefield, where representatives of every denomination owned their particular corner, and defended it with a vigour more creditable to their zeal than their charity. It was astonishing that people occupied with such grave questions could tolerate anything so frivolous as a theatre in their midst. Perhaps the building was useful, when not occupied by its legitimate owners, for temperance, revival, or mission meetings, lectures, charitable performances, and all the many plans of campaign (sometimes strangely antagonistic to each other) directed against the evil in the world.

Mr. Edward Dunford's brilliant company (in the " Rival Heirs ") had certainly little reason to bless their fate for directing their steps Basford way. They had been playing for nearly a week to almost empty houses. The weather was wet and mouldy. There was no possibility of keeping the theatre aired without letting in the damp, and no amount of gas could dispel that. The empty benches seemed occupied with misty ghosts who dispensed chills and coughs to the few who ventured to invade their territory. Mr. Edward Dunford was down with bronchitis, and Mrs. Dunford, who reigned in his stead, was hard to please ; half the company had colds, and all were affected by the depressing spectres that haunted the forlorn theatre. However much their drooping spirits might revive in the day, they invariably sunk to the lowest ebb as the hour for performance approached, and the only consoling thought was the knowledge that in a short three weeks the two years' tour would come to an end, and there were consequently no rehearsals to break in on the quiet monotony of the day.

" I expect by Saturday," said Miss Pattison to Miss Sutherland, "that there will be no audience at all but Mr. Lucas (the lessee), the charwoman, and your cousin, if you can persuade her to come. Will you act at all, Alleyne ? " They were returning home from an organ recital at St. Mary's, where Alleyne for a short hour had forgotten her troubles. " Of course we must act if Mr. Dunford wishes it," she answered. Miss Pattison giggled. " You won't get Mr. Rubens to believe that, and Mr. Dunford won't get much acting out of him !" Mr. Rubens was playing Alleyne's lover. He was a man who rose to the opportunity and also sunk to it. He had sunk to it heroically during their sojourn in Basford, and neither Mrs. Dunford's scornful comments nor Alleyne's quiet remonstrances had any effect on his supreme indifference.

Alleyne had been travelling for two years with this company. She had seen good and bad times in that hard but useful school of the provinces. She had had good notices and gained experience, yet now the company was breaking up she felt she was no nearer the goal of her ambition than she had been when she parted with Adrien Lasserton thirty five weary months ago ! The thirsty voice of her deeply rooted ambition called out loudly for satis faction, and what satisfaction could this wearying touring in a second-class company offer ? Her means, slender as they were, prevented her being entirely dependent on the stage for a living, and but for the fact that enforced idleness was painful to her, she would have retired to London and waited in the patient hope that something good might turn up. This was the advice of Mrs. Markham, her cousin, who acted as her chaperon and companion ; and had her qualifications in the latter capacity equalled her efficiency in the former, the idea of an indefinite sojourn in London might have presented more attractions to the girl.

Alleyne possessed that rare combination of a practical, energetic mind that found its only satisfaction in actual work, and a vivid imagination that dwarfed the actualities of life with the vision of a Plan of Existence, in which even failure might be necessary. As she was alternately swayed by these opposing conditions of mind, so she was also dependent and independent on the sympathy of those around her. Circumstances had thrown her into companionship so utterly unsympathetic and uncongenial to her, that this need of sympathy was too often doomed to die of sheer inanition ; consequently the imaginative faculty, bereft of its proper food, was calculated to weaken instead of strengthen her. She learnt this early in her career, and did her best to chain that tricksy fancy of hers to its legitimate sphere of action in the arena of art.

She was deep in consideration of the future as they walked back from St. Mary's, and Miss Pattison's light chatter did not serve to distract her from her meditations. When they reached Alleyne's lodging Miss Pattison stopped and regarded the lighted windows a little wistfully. The rain was still falling steadily, and in her own room nearer the theatre the chimney smoked and the landlady's babies cried. "Come in and have tea," said Alleyne, noticing the glance ; and Miss Pattison needed no second invitation. " Mr. Norman is coming, or is here," continued Alleyne as she opened the door. The room was small, but the usual lodging-house grimness was a little softened by the personal possessions which Alleyne carried about with her. Mrs. Markham was preparing tea. She was a comfortable looking lady in widow's weeds with a continuous amiable smile and air of mild perplexity.

By the fire a young man was sitting who looked wretchedly ill and worried. Alleyne greeted him warmly. During tea Mrs. Markham and Miss Pattison carried on a cheerful chirrup of small-talk to their mutual entertainment ; the conversation somewhat flagged between the other two. Alleyne was occupied with many thoughts, and poor Laurence Norman was too ill to do much more than enjoy the comfort of the room and his hostess's unob trusive care. He had originally played with Alleyne, but his usual winter cough had set in before its time, and forced him to exchange parts and salaries with a more robust though less finished actor ; much to Alleyne's regret, for she liked Laurence Norman, on the boards and off, and pitying him sincerely did her best to soften his somewhat hard lot. " If Mr. Rubens ' cuts ' any more to-night," she remarked abruptly, " I shall lose myself.

I am in perpetual fear." " I am sorry, Miss Sutherland ; I feel to blame, for I might have held on longer ; and whatever are my faults I don't intentionally play down to the house. " Indeed you are not to blame ; it is I who feel guilty for persuading you to last out the week at Bristol ; but Mr. Rubens is bad. Perhaps after all " — her voice faltered a little — "he is right, we are wasting ourselves." Mr. Norman looked distressed. " I've never heard you speak so before." She laughed a little unsteadily, then seeing they had all finished rose and pushed the table aside. Mrs. Markham and Miss Pattison were soon deep in the fabrication of a new bonnet, and Alleyne felt she might safely speak her mind without exciting wonder, so she seated herself near Mr. Norman and took up the conversation where it had been dropped.

" I have been struggling all the week," she began in a low voice. " Yes, I have seen it." " The house — and Mr. Rubens — have won ; what is the use of wasting effort ? — it is impossible to act well." " It is impossible to act with enthusiasm I grant," he returned ; " but to do good work — that is always possible." " Not at Basford or with " but she stopped. "Then let us say it is unnecessary to purposely do bad work. We need not insult our art because Fate has brought us to a place where it is not appreciated, need we ? I am giving you back your own words, Miss Sutherland. You remember last spring when I lost heart at Eastbourne ? I wish I could help you as you helped me then." There was a little silence. Alleyne heard her cousin's habitual formula, " Now I cannot under stand." She shifted her chair impatiently.

" If there was only One Person to act to — one who would understand and appreciate ! " " Would you have an artist paint a bad picture because no one bought his good work, or a writer write carelessly because no one read his books, or a singer sing out of tune because no one was listening ? " Again a silence, then Alleyne held out her hand to him. " Thank you," she said simply ; " it was easy for me to talk so to you when I was well and full of my chance of a good part. It is twice as valuable from you, for you are not well and have lost your chance for this season." " For always, I think," he said quietly ; " I shall not venture again," and his silence then, when he himself was hungry for consolation and sad with gazing after a vanished ambition, had a touch of the heroic in it. He went on speaking encouraging words to the girl until it was time to start for the theatre.

She thought over his words all the way there and in her dressing-room. They expressed her own beliefs six months ago, but she felt she had sadly needed the reminder. She determined she would keep brave and play carefully, no matter what the others did. It would be hard, " but I'll not be out of tune," she said to herself, smiling, " no matter how difficult it may be to find the pitch." In fact she worked herself up into a state of real, earnest desire to do well just for the credit of her art, and went down on to the wings to await her call with keen alacrity. She encountered Mr. Rubens just coming off. " No better house ? " she asked, with a sudden feeling of coldness. " Fourteen people." " With the gallery ? " anxiously. " I did not notice the gods. There are five in the dress-circle and nine in the upper boxes.

One box taken — probably paper." " And the pit ? " " I did not notice," here he coughed a little ; " eh — Miss Sutherland, I advise you to spare yourself more than you did last night ; it is derogatory to play before such houses, and we must shorten it as much as possible. I must request that you follow my lead in this matter rather more liberally than you have hitherto done." " But Mr. Dunford does not approve." " Mr. Dunford is an excellent manager but he is not an artist. If you do not respect your position as chief lady, I respect mine as leader of the cast, and I repeat such houses are an insult to talent. Your cue, I believe." And Alleyne stepped on to the boards feeling as if she had been douched with cold water. The first scene was short, and she came off depressed and miserable. She had done as badly as possible, and she knew it from the troubled look on Mr. Norman's face.

He went on at her exit, and as he passed her thrust a card into her hand. On it was written, "Your One Person is here. The sleepy-looking man in the middle of the dress circle is a London manager. I know him. Play your best." She almost laughed. Play her best, with a com panion who prided himself on merely saying his part, and saying as little of it as he could ! Then she saw Laurence Norman watching her ; noticed that he almost missed his cue by so doing. Well, it was kind of him. She would try. Then she suddenly realised what it might mean for her. Try ? why, she would do it — act as she had never acted before ; the pit, which after all was well silled, should have some return for its money, the London manager should not sleep the whole evening ! Her cue came and she went on again. There was an indescribable subtle difference felt before Act II. was over.

The audience forgot to look askance at the empty seats that seemed to reproach them for being such fools as to come at all ; the company remembered that they had points to make if they would, and when the curtain fell a faint spark of life had caught the expiring embers of their interest. Alleyne ignored all Mr. Rubens attempted " cuts," shirked not an iota of business, and put her heart into her work. As reward she received a savage glare from Mr. Rubens as she went off, but Mr. Norman met her with a radiant face. " Famous 1 You are carrying the day, Miss Suther land. Your One Person is worth playing to it is Mr. Macy, of the Sheridan. What brings him here I don't know, but it is a fine chance." The next act was a struggle with Mr. Rubens only. The rest of the company played up to her as deliberately as Mr. Rubens did the reverse.

It was love-making with a wooden doll, reproaching a granite monument, quarrelling with a poker. Once or twice Alleyne nearly gave it up, only Laurence Norman's anxious face kept up her courage. The London manager woke up and took an interest in this underplot of the artist struggling with flat insipidity and blockheadedism. Neither the part nor the circumstances were favourable to the girl's talent, but that the combined obstacles did not entirely quench that talent proved it of high order, and the London manager watched, smiling dubiously, and forgot to curse the fate that had landed him in Basford for five idle hours before the mail train left. It was over at last, the pit raised a faint cheer and laughed at the sound of its own voice in the empty house. The fourteen other people slipped quietly away, only the London manager lingered.

Behind the curtain the company crowded round Alleyne, half laughing, half indignantly demanding why she had pulled them up to concert pitch in that fashion. Then came her reward. " Mr. Macy would like to see you," said Laurence Norman, handing her a card.

Chapter II

A STEP HIGHER " High resolve unshook By circumstances unforseen control." Trench. Mr. Macy was a man who knew his own mind and entertained no doubts as to the infallibility of his own judgment, and that judgment pronounced that Miss Sutherland was eminently suited to play the second lady in the comedy he was about to pro duce at the Sheridan Theatre. Alleyne's interview with him was not long, but entirely satisfactory " It is not a big part," he said, " but I think you will be able to make something of it, and it will pro bably lead to something further. You must come to town as soon as possible, for we begin rehearsing in earnest next week, and is to be produced by the middle of December. Alleyne ventured to make some inquiries as to the characteristics of the play. " Clever — a little too clever for the general public IS I fear ; it's by a new man, Richard Carroll — he's a barrister by profession.

I suppose he went in for law in order to have time to devote to authorship — lucky beggar ! I'd write a play myself if I'd leisure," he added, with a big laugh at his own little joke. " I'll send you the book to-morrow," were his parting words, " but we'll settle and sign the agree ment when you come to town, and that must be as soon as Mr. Dunford can spare you. Good-night to you all ; good-night, Miss Sutherland. It was a lucky chance that brought me to Basford." And with that the Big Man departed, with the complacent smile of one who has done a good stroke of business and a kind action in one. Alleyne was the subject of the kindliest congratula tions, which she answered incoherently. The excitement and effort of the evening had been too much for her, and she could only entreat her cousin to take her home — anywhere where she might be alone to realise the great good fortune that had come to her.

She had always been a favourite with the company, and their enthusiasm over her suc cess was genuine and unselfish. iThey separated at Portsmouth, and, in spite of her preoccupation and anxiety, Alleyne found time to write to Adrian Lasserton concerning the future of Laurence Norman. The weeks that elapsed between that memorable performance at Basford and her actual appearance on the London boards were the busiest in the girl's whole life. The necessity of settling in London entailed endless arrangement. A furnished house had to be found in a suitable locality. Francis, Mrs. Markham's son, was to share their home ; an arrangement that afforded his mother unlimited delight, and to which Alleyne submitted with resignation. The house once taken, and these preliminaries arranged, Alleyne refused to hear another word on domestic matters, and gave herself over to the study of her part, which, though not big, was of sufficient importance to give scope for a certain amount of individual talent.

In vain Mrs. Markham assailed Alleyne's strong hold with formidable lists of requirements not in cluded in the inventory. " Get what you want, but don't tell me," replied Alleyne to all such inquiries with what her cousin considered outrageous selfishness. "The dining-room ought to have been papered and painted before we came in," sighed Mrs. Markham in helpless resignation. " It will necessi tate a double spring-cleaning, whereas, if Alleyne would only give it a little consideration now, I might have been spared much trouble." " Have you asked her about it ? " demanded Francis, to whom she detailed her woes. " Yes ; all she says is, ' after the sixteenth ; don't talk to me now.' Art is very selfish." Francis only laughed. "It is not art ; it is the ' artiste,' mother. I wouldn't have Alleyne a scrap less so.