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} - blockquote { max-width:23em; } - div.verse { max-width:25em; margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; } - div.bq { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; max-width:23em; } - - /* book advertisements */ - div.bcat dl dd { margin-left:4em; max-width:21em; } - div.bcat dl dt { text-indent:-2em; margin-left:2em; } - p.bkad {font-size:125%; font-weight:bold; margin-top:2em; max-width:20em; margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; } - p.bkpr {font-size:90%; } - p.bkrv { } - dl.blist dt { margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; } - dl.blist, dl.biblio { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; max-width:25em; } - - dl.int { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; max-width:25em; } - dl.int dt {margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; } - dl.int dd {margin-left:2em; } -</style> -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Peggy Plays Off-Broadway, by Virginia Hughes - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Peggy Plays Off-Broadway - Peggy Lane Theater Stories, #2 - -Author: Virginia Hughes - -Illustrator: Sergio Leone - -Release Date: October 26, 2017 [EBook #55815] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEGGY PLAYS OFF-BROADWAY *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="img"> -<img class="cover" id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Peggy Plays Off-Broadway" width="500" height="761" /> -</div> -<div class="img" id="pic1"> -<img src="images/p1.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="759" /> -<p class="caption"><i>“I know,” Peggy said excitedly. “But which airline?”</i></p> -</div> -<div class="box"> -<p class="center">PEGGY LANE THEATER STORIES</p> -<h1><i>Peggy Plays Off-Broadway</i></h1> -<p class="center">By VIRGINIA HUGHES</p> -<p class="center"><span class="small">Illustrated by <span class="sc">Sergio Leone</span></span></p> -<p class="tbcenter"><span class="small">GROSSET & DUNLAP</span> <span class="hst"><i>Publishers</i></span> -<br /><span class="smaller">NEW YORK</span></p> -</div> -<p class="center smaller">©GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC., 1962 -<br />ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</p> -<p class="center smaller">MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</p> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> -<dl class="toc"> -<dt><span class="cn">1 </span><a href="#c1"><span class="sc">Cast Call</span></a> 1</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">2 </span><a href="#c2"><span class="sc">The Hopefuls</span></a> 12</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">3 </span><a href="#c3"><span class="sc">First Reading</span></a> 21</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">4 </span><a href="#c4"><span class="sc">A Shy Angel</span></a> 30</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">5 </span><a href="#c5"><span class="sc">An Unexpected Scene</span></a> 39</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">6 </span><a href="#c6"><span class="sc">Two Acts of Faith</span></a> 50</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">7 </span><a href="#c7"><span class="sc">An Intermission</span></a> 58</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">8 </span><a href="#c8"><span class="sc">Curtain Fall</span></a> 69</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">9 </span><a href="#c9"><span class="sc">One for the Money</span></a> 80</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">10 </span><a href="#c10"><span class="sc">Two for the Show</span></a> 93</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">11 </span><a href="#c11"><span class="sc">Three to Make Ready</span></a> 108</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">12 </span><a href="#c12"><span class="sc">Which Way to Go?</span></a> 119</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">13 </span><a href="#c13"><span class="sc">A Decision</span></a> 130</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">14 </span><a href="#c14"><span class="sc">Race Against Time</span></a> 137</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">15 </span><a href="#c15"><span class="sc">Act One</span></a> 152</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">16 </span><a href="#c16"><span class="sc">Act Two</span></a> 161</dt> -<dt><span class="cn">17 </span><a href="#c17">S. R. O.</a> 167</dt> -</dl> -<div class="pb" id="Page_1">1</div> -<p class="center">PEGGY PLAYS OFF-BROADWAY</p> -<h2 id="c1"><span class="h2line1">I</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Cast Call</span></h2> -<p>“First casting calls are so difficult,” Peggy Lane -said, looking ruefully at the fifty or more actresses -and actors who milled about nervously, chatting with -one another, or sat on the few folding chairs trying -to read.</p> -<p>“With only nine roles to be filled,” she continued, -“it doesn’t matter how good these people are; most -of them just haven’t got a chance. I can’t help feeling -sorry for them—for all of us, I mean. After all, I’m -trying for a part, too.”</p> -<p>Peggy’s friend and housemate, Amy Preston, -smiled in agreement and said, “It’s not an easy business, -honey, is it? But the ones I feel sorriest for -right now are Mal and Randy. After all, they have -the unpleasant job of choosing and refusing, and a -lot of these folks are their friends. I wouldn’t want -to be in their shoes.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_2">2</div> -<p>Peggy nodded thoughtfully, and reflected that it -must, indeed, be more wearing on the boys. Mallory -Seton, director of the new play, had been an upper-class -student at the Academy when Peggy had -started there, and he was a good friend of hers. She -had worked with him before, as a general assistant, -when they had discovered a theater. It would not be -easy for him to consider Peggy for an acting role, and -to do so completely without bias. It would not be a -question of playing favorites, Peggy knew, but quite -the reverse. Mal’s sense of fair play would make him -bend over backward to keep from giving favors to -his friends. If she was to get a role in this new production, -she would really have to work for it.</p> -<p>And if it was difficult for Mal, she thought, it was -more so for Randy Brewster, the author of the play, -for her friendship with him was of a different sort -than with Mal. Mal was just a friend—a good one, -to be sure—but with Randy Brewster, somehow, -things were different. There was nothing “serious,” -she assured herself, but they had gone on dates together -with a regularity that was a little more than -casual and, whatever his feelings were for her, she -was sure that they were more complicated than -Mal’s.</p> -<p>“Do you think they’ll ever get through all these -people?” Amy asked, interrupting her thoughts. -“How can they hope to hear so many actors read for -them in just one afternoon?”</p> -<p>“Oh, they won’t be doing readings today,” Peggy -replied, glad to turn her attention from what was becoming -a difficult subject for thought. “This is just a -first cast call. All they want to do today is pick people -for type. They’ll select all the possible ones, send -the impossible ones away, and then go into elimination -readings later.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_3">3</div> -<p>“But what if the people they pick for looks can’t -act?” Amy asked. “And what if some of the rejects -are wonderful actors?”</p> -<p>“They won’t go back to the rejects,” Peggy explained, -“because they both have a pretty good idea -of what the characters in the play should look like. -And if the people they pick aren’t good enough actors, -then they hold another cast call and try again. -Mal says that sometimes certain parts are so hard to -cast that they have to go through a dozen calls just -to find one actor.”</p> -<p>“It seems kind of unfair, doesn’t it, to be eliminated -just because you’re not the right physical -type,” Amy said, “but I can understand it. They have -to start somewhere, and I guess that’s as good a place -as any.” Then she smiled and added, “I guess I’m -just feeling sorry for myself, because Mal told me -there was no sense in my trying out at all, because I -didn’t look or sound right for any part in the play. If -I don’t get rid of this Southern accent of mine, I -may never get a part at all, except in a Tennessee -Williams play!”</p> -<p>Peggy nodded sympathetically. “But it wasn’t just -your accent, Amy,” she said. “It’s your looks, too. At -least for this play. Mal and Randy told you that -you’re just too pretty for any of the parts that fit -your age, and that’s nothing to feel bad about. If -anybody ought to feel insulted, it’s me, because -they asked me to try out!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_4">4</div> -<p>“Oh, they were just sweet-talking me,” Amy replied. -“And as for you, you know you don’t have to -worry about your looks. You have a wonderful face! -You can look beautiful, or comic, or pathetic, or -cute or anything. I’m stuck with just being a South’n -Belle, blond and helpless, po’ li’l ol’ me, lookin’ sad -and sweet through those ol’ magnolia blossoms!” -She broadened her slight, soft accent until it sounded -like something you could spread on hot cornbread, -and both girls broke into laughter that sounded odd -in the strained atmosphere of the bare rehearsal -studio.</p> -<p>It was at this point that Mal and Randy came in, -with pleasant, if somewhat brisk, nods to the assembled -actors and actresses, and a special smile for -Amy and Peggy. In a businesslike manner, they settled -themselves at a table near the windows, spread -out scripts and pads and pencils, and prepared for -the chore that faced them. Amy, who was there to -help the boys by acting as secretary for the occasion, -wished Peggy good luck, and joined the boys at the -table. Her job was to take names and addresses, and -to jot down any facts about each actor that Randy -and Mal wanted to be sure to remember.</p> -<p>Mal started the proceedings by introducing himself -and Randy. Then, estimating the crowd, he said, -“Since there are fewer men here, and also fewer male -roles to cast, we’re going to do them first. I hope that -you ladies won’t mind. We won’t keep you waiting -long, but if we worked with you first, we’d have these -gentlemen waiting most of the day. Shall we get -started?” After a brief glance at his notes, he called -out, “First, I’d like to see businessman types, young -forties. How many have we?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_5">5</div> -<p>Four men separated themselves from the crowd -and approached the table. Peggy watched with interest -as Mal and Randy looked them over, murmured -to Amy to take notes, and asked questions. -After a few minutes, the men left, two of them looking -happy, two resigned. Then Mal stood and called -for leading man types, late twenties or early thirties, -tall and athletic. As six tall, athletic, handsome -young men came forward, Peggy felt that she just -couldn’t stand watching the casting interviews any -longer. It reminded her too much of the livestock -shows she had attended as a youngster in her home -town of Rockport, Wisconsin. Necessary though it -was, she felt it was hardly a way to have to deal -with human beings.</p> -<p>Slipping back through the crowd of waiting actors, -she joined the actresses in the rear of the room, and -found an empty seat next to a young girl.</p> -<p>“Hi,” she said. “What’s the matter, can’t you watch -it either?”</p> -<p>The girl smiled in understanding. “It always upsets -me,” she replied, “but it’s something we simply -have to learn to live with. At least until we get well-known, -or get agents to do this sort of thing for us.”</p> -<p>“It sounds as if you’ve been in a few of these before,” -Peggy said.</p> -<p>“I have. But not here in the East,” the girl replied. -“I’m from California, and I’ve been in a few little-theater -things there, but nobody seems to pay much -attention to them. I heard that off-Broadway theater -in New York attracts a lot of critics, and I thought -that I’d do better here. Have you had any luck?”</p> -<p>“Oh, I’m just beginning,” Peggy said. “I’m still -studying at the New York Dramatic Academy. I hope -I can get some kind of supporting role in this play, -but I don’t think I’m ready for anything big yet. By -the way, my name is Peggy Lane. What’s yours?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_6">6</div> -<p>“I’m Paula Andrews,” the girl answered, “and -maybe I’m shooting too high, but I’m trying out for -the female lead. I hope I have a chance for it.”</p> -<p>Peggy looked carefully at her new friend, at the -somewhat uncertain smile that played about her -well-formed, generous mouth and the intelligence -that shone from her large, widely placed green eyes. -Her rather long face was saved from severity by a -soft halo of red-brown hair, the whole effect being an -appealing combination of strength and feminine softness.</p> -<p>“I think you do have a chance,” Peggy said. “In -fact, if you can act, I bet you’ll get the part. I’ve read -the play, and I know the author and director, and -unless I’m way off, you look just the way the lead -should look. In fact, it’s almost uncanny. You look as -if you just walked out of the script!”</p> -<p>“Oh, I hope you’re right!” Paula said with animation. -“And I hope you get a part, too. I have a feeling -that you’re going to bring me good luck!”</p> -<p>“The one who needs luck is me, I’m afraid,” Peggy -said. “Being friendly with Randy and Mal isn’t going -to help me in the least, and I’m going to have to be -awfully good to get the part. And it’s really important -to me, too, because I’m getting near the end of -my trial year.”</p> -<p>“Trial year?” Paula asked curiously.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_7">7</div> -<p>“Uh-huh. My parents agreed to let me come to -New York to study acting and try for parts for a year, -and I agreed that if I didn’t show signs of success -before the year was up, I’d come home and go back -to college. I’ve been here for eight months now, and -I haven’t got anything to show my parents yet. The -part I’m trying for now isn’t a big one, but it’s a good -supporting role, and what’s more, we get paid. If I -can show my mother and father that I can earn some -money by acting, I’m sure that they’ll let me go on -trying.”</p> -<p>“But do you expect to make enough to live on right -away?” Paula asked.</p> -<p>“Oh, no! I’m not that naïve! But when my year is -over at the Academy, I can always take a job as a -typist or a secretary somewhere, while I look for -parts. If you can type and take shorthand, you never -have to worry about making a living.”</p> -<p>“I wish that I could do those things,” Paula said -wistfully. “The only way I’ve been able to make ends -meet is by working in department stores as a salesgirl, -and that doesn’t pay much. Besides, the work is -so unsteady.”</p> -<p>“My parents are very practical people,” Peggy said -with a smile, “and they made sure that I learned -routine office skills before they would let me think -about other and more glamorous kinds of careers. -Daddy owns the newspaper in our small town in -Wisconsin, and I’ve worked with him as a typist and -a reporter of sorts and as a proofreader, too. I’ll always -be grateful that he made me learn all those -things. I don’t think he has much faith in the acting -business, but he’s been wonderful about giving me a -chance. What do your parents think of your wanting -to be an actress?”</p> -<p>Instead of answering, Paula suddenly stood up. -“Let’s go see how they’re coming with the actors,” she -said. “I think they’re almost finished.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_8">8</div> -<p>Not wanting to press Paula further, and feeling -that perhaps she had asked too personal a question -on such short acquaintance, Peggy reluctantly stood -too, and joined Paula to watch the last of what she -now could only think of as the livestock show.</p> -<p>As she drew closer to the table, she heard Mal saying, -“I’m really sorry, Mr. Lang, but you’re just not -the right type for the role. Perhaps some other....” -and his voice trailed off in embarrassment.</p> -<p>Lang, a short, thin, unhappy young man, answered -almost tearfully, “But, Mr. Seton, looks aren’t everything. -I’m really a funny comedian. Honestly! If you -would only give me a chance to read for you, I know -that I could make you change your mind about the -way this character should look!”</p> -<p>“I don’t doubt that you could,” Mal said gently, -“but if you did, the play would suffer. I’m afraid the -comedian we need for this must be a large, rather -bluff-looking person, like these three gentlemen -whom I have chosen to hear. The part calls for it. -I’m sorry.”</p> -<p>Mr. Lang nodded sadly, mumbled, “I understand,” -and walked off, his head hanging and his -hands thrust deep in his pockets, looking less like a -comedian than any man in the world. Peggy -watched him go, not knowing whether to feel sorrier -for him or for Mal.</p> -<p>“All right, gentlemen,” Mal called out. “That takes -care of the male roles. All of you who are left will be -given copies of the play to study, marked at the passages -I want to hear. Be sure to read the whole play -carefully, so that you understand the workings of the -characters you have been selected to read. You have -three days to look it over. We’ll meet at ten o’clock -on Saturday morning at the Penthouse Theater to -hear you. Thank you. And now for the ladies.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_9">9</div> -<p>The men left, after being given their scripts, and -though they chatted amiably with one another, -Peggy was sure that each was casting rather hostile -looks toward others who were trying for the same -parts. Keeping friendships in the theater was not an -easy thing, she thought, particularly for people of -similar physical types!</p> -<p>Mal’s first concern in reviewing the actresses was, -of course, for the leading role. And, of course, it was -for this role that he had the most applicants. More -than twenty girls came forward when the announcement -was made, and Peggy thought that she had -never seen so many striking and beautiful faces and -figures. It was not going to be easy for Mal to make a -choice. As Paula, her new friend, went forward to -join the others, Peggy whispered a word of encouragement, -then stood to one side to watch.</p> -<p>Mal went down the line, regretfully dismissing one -after the other of the girls, and occasionally asking -one to step aside to try for another role. His tough-looking -expression hardly varied as he spoke to each -one, but Peggy thought she saw the ghost of a smile -cross his face when he spoke to Paula Andrews. Another -review of the remaining girls eliminated a few -more. Finally, there were only four left, Paula -among them. Mal thanked them, distributed scripts, -and asked them to be at the Penthouse Theater on -Saturday at noon.</p> -<p>Paula returned to Peggy with eyes shining. “Oh, -Peggy! I think you were right! I just know I’m going -to get the part! I know it!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_10">10</div> -<p>“Don’t count too much on it,” Peggy cautioned, -“or you may be too bitterly disappointed if you don’t -get it. But,” she added, enthusiastically violating her -own rule of caution, “I’m sure, too! I’ll see you Saturday. -Even if I don’t get a script, I’ll be there just to -hear you read!”</p> -<p>Then, with a smile of farewell, Peggy turned her -attention to the “career woman, early thirties” classification -that Mal had called for next. Once that -was out of the way, she knew it would be her turn.</p> -<p>This time, there were not so many applicants and -Peggy remembered Randy telling her that this -would be one of their most difficult roles to cast. -Only four actresses came forward, and Mal, with -difficulty, reviewed them all. Unable to eliminate by -type, he gave them all scripts and asked them to -come to the theater. Then he called for “character -ingénues” and Peggy joined seven other girls in the -“livestock show.”</p> -<p>Mal reviewed them carefully, managing to look at -Peggy with complete lack of recognition. He gently -eliminated three of them on the basis of hair coloring, -height or general type. Another, curiously -enough, was eliminated, like Amy, for a Southern accent, -and a fifth, also like Amy, was too beautiful. -“The part calls for a pretty girl,” Mal said with a rare -smile, “but not for a girl so pretty that she’ll dominate -the stage! It was a pleasure to look at you, but I’m -afraid you’re not quite right for the part.”</p> -<p>When he was done, Peggy and two others were -given scripts and told to come to the theater on Saturday. -Feeling lightheaded and giddy, Peggy settled -herself on one of the folding chairs that lined -the back wall, and waited for Mal, Randy, and Amy -to finish so she could join them for coffee.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_11">11</div> -<p>Scarcely noticing the rest of the proceedings, she -thought only about the coming readings. She was -so familiar with the play that she knew she had an -advantage, perhaps unfairly, over the other two girls. -She had watched the script grow from its first rough -draft to the finished text now in her hands, and had -discussed it with Randy through each revision. She -knew she could play the part; in fact, she suspected -secretly that Randy had written it for her, and the -thought made her blush. Still, it would not be easy, -she knew. Mal’s sense of fairness and his absolute -devotion to the play above everything else would -keep him from making up his mind in advance.</p> -<p>But despite this knowledge, she could not help -looking ahead—all the way ahead—to the restless -stir of the opening-night audience out front, the last-minute -preparations backstage, the bright, hot lights -and the smell of make-up and scenery paint as she -waited to go on in Act One, Scene One of <i>Come -Closer</i>, Randy Brewster’s brilliant new play in which -Peggy Lane would be discovered!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_12">12</div> -<h2 id="c2"><span class="h2line1">II</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">The Hopefuls</span></h2> -<p>The audience consisted of a handful of actors and -actresses, and Randy Brewster and Mallory Seton. -The stage lighting was a cold splash produced by two -floodlights without color gels to soften them. The -scenery was the brick back wall of the stage, two -ladders, a table and two straight-backed chairs. Only -the front row of house lights was on, and the back of -the theater was dark, empty and gloomy, a shadowy -wasteland of empty rows of seats like tombstones.</p> -<p>On the stage, a “businessman type” was reading -his lines. Peggy knew, after the first few words, that -he would not do. He had somehow completely -missed the character of the man he was portraying, -and was heavily overplaying. Mal, being perhaps -more patient than Peggy, listened and watched -with great care. Amy, who was acting as Mal’s assistant -for the production, sat in a chair by the proscenium, -reading her script by the light of a small -lamp and feeding the actor cue lines. Mal followed -the whole sequence with no visible sign of impatience -and, when the actor was through, said, -“Thank you. We’ll let you know our decision in a day -or two.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_13">13</div> -<p>The next “businessman type” was better, but still -not quite on target, Peggy thought. He seemed to be -playing the part for laughs, and although there were -some comic values to be extracted from the role, it -was really far more a straight dramatic character. -Still, he was clearly a better actor than the first, -and with direction might do well.</p> -<p>Following his reading, Mal again repeated his -polite, invariable formula, “Thank you. We’ll let you -know our decision in a day or two,” and called for -the next reading.</p> -<p>Peggy watched the remaining actors try for the -role, and made mental notes of which ones were possible, -which probable, and which stood no chance at -all.</p> -<p>The same process was then followed for the leading -men, and the same wide range of talent and understanding -of the part was displayed. Some seemed -to have no idea at all about the play or its meaning, -and Peggy was sure that these men had read only -the parts marked for them. Others had a clear understanding -of the kind of character they were playing, -and tried to create him in the brief time they had on -stage. Others still were actors who had one rather -inflexible way of playing, and used it for all kinds of -parts. Their performances were uniform imitations of -each other, and all were imitations of the early acting -style of Marlon Brando. They seemed to forget, -Peggy thought, that Brando’s style developed -from the roles he had to play, and that as he got -other roles, he showed other facets of a rounded talent. -It made her angry that some actors thought -they could get ahead in a creative field by being -imitative.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_14">14</div> -<p>Each actor, no matter how good or how bad, was -treated with impersonal courtesy by Mal, and each -left looking sure that the part was his. Peggy was -glad that she would not have to see their faces when -they learned that they had not been selected.</p> -<p>“The pity of it,” she whispered to Randy, “isn’t -that there are so many bad ones, but that there are -so many good ones, and that only one can be selected -for each role. I wish there were some way of telling -the good ones you can’t take that they were really -good, but that you just couldn’t take everyone!”</p> -<p>“You can’t let yourself worry about that,” Randy -replied. “The good ones know they’re good, and -they’re not going to be discouraged by the loss of a -role. And the bad ones think they’re good, too, and -most of them have tremendous egos to protect -them from ever finding out—or even thinking—otherwise!”</p> -<p>The door at the back of the theater opened quietly, -and Peggy, turning around in her seat, saw a few of -the actresses entering. They quietly found seats in -the rear and settled down to await their turn.</p> -<p>“I think I’ll go back there with the girls,” Peggy -whispered. “I’m looking for a girl I met at the casting -call, and I’d like to chat with her for a few minutes -when she comes. Do you mind if I don’t look at all -this?”</p> -<p>Randy grinned. “Go ahead. I’d get out of here, -too, if I could without getting Mal mad at me. This -kind of thing always breaks my heart, too!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_15">15</div> -<p>As she went up the aisle as unobtrusively as possible, -Peggy glanced at the actresses who had just -come in. She recognized a few of their faces from -the casting call of three days ago, but did not see her -new friend among them. She decided to go out to the -lobby to wait for her there. A new group of girls -entered the theater as Peggy was leaving and, as she -passed, one reached out and grabbed her arm.</p> -<p>Peggy turned in surprise to find herself greeted -with a broad grin and a quick companionable kiss.</p> -<p>“Greta!” she cried. “What are you doing here?”</p> -<p>“Come on out to the lobby, and I’ll tell you,” Greta -Larsen said, with a toss of her head that made her -thick blond braid spin around and settle over her -shoulder.</p> -<p>“But I thought you were in New Haven, getting -ready to open <i>Over the Hill</i>,” Peggy said, when they -had reached the lobby. “What on earth are you doing -here?”</p> -<p>“I’m afraid you don’t read your <i>Variety</i> very carefully,” -Greta said. “<i>Over the Hill</i> opened in New -Haven to such bad notices that the producer decided -to close out of town. At first we thought he’d -call in a play doctor to try to fix things up, but he -finally decided, and very sensibly, that it would be -easier to just throw the whole thing out. I’m afraid -he lost a lot of money, and he didn’t have any more -left.”</p> -<p>“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Peggy said. “And it was a real -chance for you, wasn’t it?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_16">16</div> -<p>“Not really,” Greta said. “The part wasn’t too -good, and I’d just as soon not be in a disaster. Anyway, -it gave me a chance to work for a few weeks, -and an agent saw me and said he thought I was -good, so maybe I’m not any the worse for the experience.”</p> -<p>At that moment, Peggy saw Paula Andrews enter -the lobby, and she motioned to her to join them. -“Greta, this is Paula Andrews. She’s reading for the -lead today, and I hope she gets it. Paula, I want you -to meet Greta Larsen, one of my housemates.”</p> -<p>“Housemates?” Paula questioned, a little puzzled.</p> -<p>“Yes. There are about a dozen of us, more or less. -We live in a place called the Gramercy Arms—a -wonderful place—and we live like one big noisy family. -The Arms is run just for young actresses, so we -all have a lot in common. I haven’t seen Greta for -weeks—she’s been out of town with a play—and I’m -just getting over being stunned at seeing her now.”</p> -<p>“Peggy tactfully neglected to mention that the -play flopped,” Greta laughed, “and now I’m back in -town without a job. In fact, that’s why I’m here.”</p> -<p>“You mean you’re going to read for Mal?” Peggy -asked excitedly.</p> -<p>“Uh-huh. I met him on the street an hour or so -ago, and he told me he had a part he thought I should -try out for, and that he was thinking of me for it all -along, but assumed that I wouldn’t be available. -Well, you can’t be more available than I am, so here -I am!”</p> -<p>“Have you read the play?” Paula asked.</p> -<p>“I’m lucky there,” Greta replied. “I’ve seen it -in three different drafts since it started. Peggy’s -friendly with Randy Brewster, the boy who wrote it, -and each time she brought a draft home, I got to -read it. So I’m not at a disadvantage.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_17">17</div> -<p>“What do you think of <i>Come Closer</i>, Paula?” asked -Peggy.</p> -<p>“I think it’s wonderful! I hope more than ever that -I get the part! Do you really think I have a chance?”</p> -<p>Greta nodded decisively. “If you can act, you’re -made for it,” she said.</p> -<p>“That’s just what Peggy said!”</p> -<p>Peggy stole a glance through the doors to the theater. -“I think we’re about ready to find out whether or -not you can act,” she said. “They seem to be about -through with the actors, and that means you’re on -next!”</p> -<p>Wishing each other good luck, they entered the -darkened part of the house and prepared for what -Peggy could only think of as their ordeal.</p> -<p class="tb">Afterward, as Peggy, Amy, Paula, and Greta sat at -a table in a nearby coffeehouse waiting for Mal and -Randy to join them, each was sure that she had been -terrible.</p> -<p>“Oh, no!” Peggy said. “You two were just marvelous! -But I couldn’t have been worse. I know I read -the part wrong. I thought I had the character clear in -my mind, but I’m sure that the way it came out was a -mile off!”</p> -<p>“You have a lot more talent than judgment,” Greta -said mournfully. “You were perfect. And so was -Paula. As for me....” Her voice trailed off in despair.</p> -<p>“I don’t know how you can say that, Greta,” Paula -put in. “I know you were the best in your part, and -nobody even came close to Peggy. But I’ve never -felt so off in my life as I did reading that part. It’s a -wonder any of you even want to be seen with me!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_18">18</div> -<p>Only when Amy started to laugh did the three -others realize how much alike they had sounded. -Then they joined in the laughter and couldn’t seem -to stop. When they seemed at the point of dissolving -helplessly into a permanent attack of the giggles, -Randy and Mal joined them.</p> -<p>“If you’re laughing at the play,” Randy said -gloomily, “I can hardly blame you. You never know -just how badly you’ve written until someone gets up -and starts to read your lines.”</p> -<p>All at the same time, the girls started to reassure -him and tell him how good the play was, and how -badly the actors, including themselves, had handled -the lines, but this was so much like their last exchange -of conversation that once more they broke up -in helpless laughter.</p> -<p>When they got their breath back, and when coffee -and pastry had been ordered, they tried to explain -the cause of their hilarity to the boys.</p> -<p>“... so, you see,” Peggy concluded, “we were -each explaining how good the others were and how -bad we were, and when Randy started telling us how -bad he had been as a writer, we just couldn’t stand -it!”</p> -<p>It was Mal who got them back to sane ground. -With his tough face, like a movie gangster’s or private -detective’s, and his gentle, cultured English voice and -assured manner, he calmly gave his opinion of the -afternoon’s auditions.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_19">19</div> -<p>“First of all, I think the dialogue plays remarkably -well, Randy. It’s a good play, and I don’t think -there’ll be too many changes to worry about. Secondly, -you’re all right and you’re all wrong. I might -as well tell you now that you each have the part you -tried out for. I’m very pleased with you, and proud -to have you in the cast.”</p> -<p>Peggy and Greta excitedly embraced each other, -and when they turned to do the same to Paula, were -dismayed to see that she was crying. “What’s -wrong?” Peggy asked. “Is anything the matter?”</p> -<p>“Oh, no,” Paula wailed, trying to smile through her -tears. “It’s just that I wanted this so much, and I’m -so happy, and I started to laugh and it came out -tears....” She rummaged for her pack of tissues, -dabbed her eyes, and emerged with a radiant smile.</p> -<p>“There, that’s better,” Randy said.</p> -<p>“The tears were all right too,” Mal said. “I feel -like doing the same thing when I’m really happy, but -it wouldn’t go with my face. It looks great on yours!”</p> -<p>By the time the coffee and pastry arrived, Paula’s -emotional storm had so far been put behind her that -she fell on the cakes with the appetite of a lumberjack.</p> -<p>“A little restraint, please, madam,” Mal said, “or -you’ll lose your part. We want a nice, slim leading -lady, not a butterball! You’re in training now!”</p> -<p>“Let me take them,” Greta said. “I have a fat, -round face to begin with, and you wouldn’t have -picked me if you wanted a sylph for the part. You’ll -never notice a few ounces more!”</p> -<p>“I’m sorry to tell you that we not only would notice -it, but we’d mind it very much,” Mal said, “but nobody -minds a fat director. So....” He reached for -the cause of the debate.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_20">20</div> -<p>“What I can’t understand,” Greta said, “is how -you picked me for the part. Why did you want me -to try for a thirtyish career girl role? I’m not really -the physical type, and those other girls were. Will -you tell me?”</p> -<p>“Just a hunch,” Mal said. “You’ll be the type with -your hair out of that braid and put up, and with a -little make-up to age you a few years. I felt that you -had the kind of crisp delivery we wanted, and it -looks as though I was right. As for Peggy, it’s as if the -part were written for her.” This last he said with a -sly side look at Randy, who reddened slightly. “And -as for Paula, well....” He broke off and looked at -her intently.</p> -<p>“I don’t know what it is, but the minute I saw you -in cast call, I knew you were our girl. And when I -heard you read, I knew that I hadn’t made a mistake. -There’s something about you ... some quality that -I seem to recognize ... I suppose it’s talent. But -that’s enough of compliments. If we don’t get out of -here, we’ll soon be writing long epic poems to each -other’s genius.”</p> -<p>So, finishing their coffee with a toast to the success -of <i>Come Closer</i>, they said their good nights and -parted outside the coffeehouse.</p> -<p>“Don’t forget,” Mal called after them, “rehearsal -Monday night. See you then!” He walked off with -Paula, and Randy escorted Peggy, Amy, and Greta -back to the Gramercy Arms.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_21">21</div> -<h2 id="c3"><span class="h2line1">III</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">First Reading</span></h2> -<p>Peggy was at stage center, under a bright bank of -floodlights. Amy entered from stage right, crossed -down center and turned her back to the house to -look upstage. She paused a moment before speaking.</p> -<p>Her position, back to the audience, would have -been unforgivable if there had been an audience, -and her lines, when she spoke them, were scarcely -dramatic.</p> -<p>“You have paint on the side of your nose,” she said, -“and there’s a rip in the seat of your jeans. Now -where I come from, no lady....”</p> -<p>“The same to you,” Peggy grinned, looking around -from the flat she was painting. “At least, the same to -you as regards the paint on your nose. I can’t see -the seat of your jeans from here!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_22">22</div> -<p>Amy put down the bucket of paint that she had -brought with her and stepped back to the apron of -the stage to get a better look at Peggy’s handiwork. -It was a small wing flat that was to represent the -corner of a frame house. A window frame had already -been installed in it, and later the suggestion of -a back porch would be added. Peggy was busy with -the somewhat tedious work of painting clapboards -on the flat canvas. Each was made with two lines of -gray paint drawn across the white-painted surface; -first a dark line, then a somewhat broader light-gray -line. From working distance, it looked like nothing -but striped canvas, but from a few feet away, the -dimensional effect was surprisingly real. Peggy -joined Amy at the edge of the stage to get a look at -what she had been doing.</p> -<p>“It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?” she asked.</p> -<p>Amy nodded. “Keep it up, honey child, and you -may find a real niche for yourself in the theater!”</p> -<p>Laughing, the two friends worked together on the -flat, each using one of the shades of gray. The work -went much faster now, which pleased Peggy, because -she didn’t want to leave the flat half-finished -when it was time for her to stop and go to her section -of the readings.</p> -<p>In the early part of working on a play, the stage is -seldom used. First readings usually take place in -small groups gathered in any convenient spot, and it -is not until the actors are fairly familiar with their -lines and with the way the director wants them read -that the play begins to take form on the stage. <i>Come -Closer</i> was in the earliest days of rehearsal, and Mal -was still in the first stages of familiarizing himself -with his cast and them with the play.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_23">23</div> -<p>The Penthouse Theater was ideally suited for the -work they were doing. It was actually a very old -theater which Peggy and Amy had discovered, under -exciting and mysterious circumstances, when -they had first come to New York and met Randy and -Mal. The theater itself occupied the top floor of an -old loft building, and when Randy and Mal had -leased it, they had rented the whole building. Both -the theater and the other floors below it had seen -much alteration since, and it was now a unique -actors’ workshop from top to bottom.</p> -<p>The boys had converted part of the loft space into -compact apartments for themselves, and other -rooms into living quarters for young actors whose -rent, although low by city standards, was still enough -to pay most of the costs of operating the building. -The ground floor had been turned into a series of rehearsal -studios, which, when not being used by -Randy and Mal for a current play of their own, were -rented to other groups. In its short time of operation, -the Penthouse Theater had already become an -off-Broadway institution.</p> -<p>For Randy and Mal it had proved to be the best -thing that had ever happened to them. It not only -gave them a theater in which they could stage their -productions, but it gave them enough income so -that they no longer had to work at other jobs while -trying to pursue their careers in the theater world.</p> -<p>Before, Randy had worked in small night clubs as a -song-and-dance man—a way of life for which he had -the deepest contempt. Mal had been an actor in -movies and television where, because of his tough -face, he had been type-cast as a gangster. He not -only didn’t like gangster roles, he found it hard to -get them because of the cultured English accent that -issued so surprisingly from that face. For both boys, -the Penthouse Theater meant a new life and new -opportunity, doing Randy’s plays, directed by Mal.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_24">24</div> -<p>Peggy and Amy put the last touches on the clapboard -wall, stepped back to review the work, and -smiled with satisfaction.</p> -<p>“It looks perfect,” Peggy said. “Now I just hope -that we stretched the canvas tight enough on the -frame in the first place, so that it doesn’t flutter if -somebody bumps into it. If anything looks terrible, -it’s a clapboard wall that flutters!”</p> -<p>“I think it’s tight enough,” Amy said, “and besides, -if it isn’t, it’s too late to think about it now.”</p> -<p>“You’re right,” Peggy agreed. “Not only that, but -I think it’s too late to think about anything right now -but my part. I’ve got to clean up and be downstairs -for a reading in five minutes. Do you want to keep -working here, or will you come down to hear us?”</p> -<p>“I’ve got to come to hear you,” Amy said, “whether -I like it or not. Mal asked me to work out the first -go-round with you and make notes on the script as -we go. He’ll be in to hear you and the others in about -an hour.”</p> -<p>“Like it or not!” Peggy said in mock indignation. -“What makes you think there’s even a chance you -won’t like it? I propose to be brilliant!”</p> -<p>Of course she knew better. Brilliance is not in the -picture in these early readings. A half hour later, -in Studio 3, having gone once through Act Two, -Scene Two, she realized wryly just how far from -brilliance they were!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_25">25</div> -<p>The play, which Randy described as a fantasy, or -a “modern morality play,” was not an easy one for -the actors. The parts could, with too broad a reading, -descend into farce or, with not just the right quality -of the fantastic, slide off into dullness. The setting -was a resort which was, in actuality, a sort of rest -home for wealthy people who needed to get away -from themselves for a while—or to find themselves. -The point of the play, which gradually emerged, -was that each of the characters had somehow led at -least two distinct kinds of lives and had found both -of them unsatisfactory. All the people in the play -were trying, in whatever ways they could, to find -some third or fourth kind of life that might be more -pleasant and satisfying than the last; all of them were -getting more confused every day they tried.</p> -<p>Peggy’s part, then, was not easy. She was playing -the role of a young girl of twenty-one who had been -a very successful child movie star, but who had not -made a picture since she was twelve. Realizing that -she was through with show business, she had tried to -pretend that she was just an ordinary person who -could live an ordinary life. She had gone through college -and started work as a secretary, keeping secret -the fact that she had been a movie star. But shortly -before the play opens, she has suddenly come into -the fortune which she had earned as a child, but -which had been held in trust for her. The money confuses -her, and the publicity she gets when the story -of the money comes out makes it impossible for her -to continue as a secretary.</p> -<p>The difficulty for Peggy was in making this character -seem true and alive. This meant that the personalities -of an ex-child movie star, a quiet, precise secretary, -and a bewildered new heiress must all be -combined in one believable whole.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_26">26</div> -<p>Each of the other actors had a similar problem -of dual personality, and they all had great difficulty -not only in interpreting each role, but in deciding -how any two or more characters were to speak to -each other. Part of the point of the play, cleverly -conceived and written by Randy, was that each character -brought out one special aspect of each other -character, so that Peggy had to act quite differently, -almost minute by minute, depending on whom she -was speaking to.</p> -<p>Their first efforts in this reading were often so -wrong as to be hilarious. The scene included Peggy, -Greta, the “businessman type” who was an affable, -charming man named Alan Douglas, and the comedian, -a roly-poly actor named Gil Mulligan. Their -attempts at finding a suitable kind of relationship -for this scene were not very successful, and they were -so intent on establishing character that they often -paid very little attention to their lines, and garbled -the words. To make matters worse, Mulligan had a -knack of taking each “fluff,” which is what actors -call a mistake, and carrying it on one step farther toward -madness. When Mal finally arrived to see how -the group was doing, they were all doubled up in -helpless laughter.</p> -<p>When they had caught their breath, Amy tried to -explain to Mal. “The characters are so shifting,” she -said, “that everybody’s confused about how they’re -supposed to act to whom. Or am I confusing it more? -Anyway, they’ve all been fluffing lines like mad.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_27">27</div> -<p>“Of course,” Mal said matter-of-factly. “Wrong approach, -and all of you should have known it. It’s far -too early in the game to try to define your characters. -You have more than enough work to do in just getting -your lines down cold. What I want you to do -for a while is just to go over the lines and learn your -cues. Read your parts straight. After you’re easy in -what you’re doing, we’ll work at establishing character -and shifting viewpoint and response. Besides—and -pardon me if I sound like a tyrannical director—I’d -rather you wouldn’t play around with character -development when I’m not here. Now, have -you read the scene through yet?”</p> -<p>“Nearly,” Peggy answered, “if you can call what -we’ve been doing a reading. I don’t think any of us -benefited much by it, though.”</p> -<p>“All right,” Mal answered. “Don’t worry about it. -Why don’t you start it again from the top? I think -we have time to go through it at least one time, just -to get the feel of it. Then you can all go off by yourselves -to learn your own sides.”</p> -<p>This time, with no worrying about character, the -scene went smoothly. Almost mechanically, Peggy -thought. At first she could not understand the point -of having them all just sit around and read the words -of the scene to each other without any attempt at -acting, but gradually she began to appreciate the -value of the method. As each one read in turn, she -discovered that every actor had his own personal -style or rhythm of reading, a rhythm which, by the -end of the scene, she was beginning to catch and -anticipate. By the time they were done, she thought -that she could tell fairly accurately in advance how -each would read his next line. Now that they weren’t -trying to make themselves fit the parts, they fell -easily into their own natural patterns of speech.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_28">28</div> -<p>Things went much more quickly in this fashion, -and they were able to run through the scene twice -before it was time to call a halt. The second time -around was much smoother, Peggy noticed, and as -they worked, the pattern of the scene and the interplay -of the characters began to emerge. When it was -done, all the actors agreed that they now had a much -clearer idea of what they were doing, and would be -better able to go home and study their lines.</p> -<p>As they were on their way out, Peggy fell into step -alongside Mal. “I noticed that you didn’t say a word -about how we should read,” she said, “and I also -noticed that the individual reading styles of the people -were pretty clear this time. Is that what you were -after?”</p> -<p>“Exactly,” Mal said. “You’re catching on to the -tricks pretty quickly, Peggy. You see, a director has -to work with actors, as well as with a play. I can’t -force anyone to fit precisely into my own preconceived -notions of a character, because if I tried, the -performance would be stiff and unnatural. What I -have to do first is get to understand the actors as they -are, and then start building from there. That’s why a -Broadway play has a much better chance than an -off-Broadway venture. When you’re working with -stars, you have known quantities—and qualities—and -you cast people who already correspond to -your own vision of the part. But when you have to -work with unknown actors, you must remember that -they’re unknown to the director as well as to the audience. -Because of this, my first job is to get to know -them as they are, and to get the feel of each one’s -natural way of reading a line. Then I can build on -that.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_29">29</div> -<p>“My, there sure are a lot of hidden problems in directing -a play,” Amy said. “I used to think of a director -as a kind of wild-animal tamer, standing in -the middle of a ring of snarling actors with a whip -and a chair, and making them jump through hoops, -but it’s more complicated than that, isn’t it?”</p> -<p>Mal laughed. “The wild-animal trainer’s life isn’t -so simple, either,” he said with a mischievous grin. -“After all, they have to understand the psychology of -lions and tigers, and that must be nearly as difficult -as understanding actors!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_30">30</div> -<h2 id="c4"><span class="h2line1">IV</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">A Shy Angel</span></h2> -<p>Rehearsals had been going on for over a week now, -and Peggy was feeling strangely depressed.</p> -<p>The actors were learning their lines, all right, and -cues were not being missed too often, but somehow, -the play showed no sign of coming together as a -whole. What seemed worse to her, the first attempts -at characterization were bad—shockingly bad—and -did not correspond in the least to her ideas about the -play.</p> -<p>Unfortunately, neither Mal nor Randy, nor any of -the cast did a thing to cheer her up or make her feel -that she might be wrong. Now it was nearly midnight, -and Peggy’s depression was deepened by a sheer -physical tiredness that was the result of working all -day at the New York Dramatic Academy and all -night in the rehearsal studios at the Penthouse Theater.</p> -<p>Peggy, Amy, and Greta, in mutual silent gloom, -put on their coats and prepared to go home to the -Gramercy Arms. In the hallway, they saw Randy -and Mal, equally silent and equally gloomy, looking -at each other through a cloud of pipe smoke.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_31">31</div> -<p>“Is it that bad?” Peggy said.</p> -<p>“It’s not good,” Randy said hollowly.</p> -<p>“I’m sure you’re overstating,” Greta said, in an attempt -to cheer them up. “I’ve seen rehearsals go a -lot worse than this for a long time, then suddenly -pull into brilliant shape overnight. After all, it’s -less than two weeks, and it’s not as if this were a -simple drawing-room comedy. It’s a good play, and a -complicated one, and it’s not the easiest thing in the -world to do....”</p> -<p>“It may be impossible to do,” Randy said. “But -cheer up, girls. We weren’t concerned about your acting. -We’ve got other problems.”</p> -<p>“Not problems. Just problem,” Mal put in.</p> -<p>“What’s wrong?” Peggy asked. “Can you tell us, -and is there anything we can do?”</p> -<p>“You’re going to have to know sooner or later,” -Randy answered, “so we might as well tell you now. -Come on in for a cup of coffee and we’ll tell you all -about it.”</p> -<p>Nothing more was said until the three girls were -seated in Mal’s comfortable living room upstairs. -Then, while Mal was in the kitchen getting the -coffee ready, Randy told Peggy and the other girls -what was on his mind.</p> -<p>“It’s the age-old theater problem,” he sighed. “To -put it in one word, it’s money. I’m afraid we badly -misjudged our budget for <i>Come Closer</i>, and unless -we can find a way to raise some more cash in a -hurry, we may have to close up shop.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_32">32</div> -<p>“But how can that be?” Amy said. “You were so -sure that you had enough, and it’s not as if this were -a high-cost production with a lot of costumes and -expensive sets and all that—”</p> -<p>“No, that’s not it,” Randy said. “We figured the -scenery and costumes and lighting right down to the -nickel. What threw us is the salary expense, and a -bad guess about the amount of rehearsal time we -would need.”</p> -<p>“My fault,” Mal said, as he came in from the -kitchen, bearing a tray of cups and saucers, sugar, -cream, cookies and an enormous pot of coffee.</p> -<p>“Why do you say it’s your fault, Mal?” Peggy -asked.</p> -<p>“I figured the rehearsal time into the budget, and I -figured wrong. I didn’t take into account just how -difficult the play is to do, and I should have known -that we would need to go into extra weeks. Actually, -I think we’ll need at least three and maybe four more -weeks of rehearsal than I had first called for, and -that’s a big hunk of salary money that wasn’t figured -in.”</p> -<p>“We have twelve actors, all working for minimum -scale wages,” Randy explained. “During the contracted -rehearsal period, as you know, they get paid -half of scale. We put aside enough money to pay for -that, plus full scale for two weeks after opening. Unfortunately, -when we go into extra rehearsal weeks, -we have to pay full scale for those, just as if the play -were open. What it means is that we’ll be short by -about a month’s full salary money, and although it -doesn’t seem as if you’re getting paid much, when -you add it all up, it comes out to be quite a sum.”</p> -<p>“Three thousand, seven hundred dollars, to be -exact,” Mal said.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_33">33</div> -<p>A moment of silence followed, while the girls took -in this disturbing new fact. They covered their distress -by the routine of pouring coffee and passing -cream, sugar, and cookies.</p> -<p>“What about the original group of backers?” Peggy -asked. “They already have a good-sized investment -to protect. Won’t they put up the extra money just to -keep from losing what they’ve already put in before -the play even opens?”</p> -<p>“I’ve already approached them,” Randy said, “and -they all agree that it makes sense to put up more -money. Unfortunately, none of them has any more -to put in. I’m afraid that the only thing left to do is -to find more money from other people.”</p> -<p>“I should think it would be easier now than it was -before,” Greta observed. “After all, when you started, -all you had was a script to show. Now you have a -cast and some scenery and—”</p> -<p>“And that’s all,” Mal interrupted.</p> -<p>“I don’t understand,” Amy said. “Why doesn’t that -make it easier?”</p> -<p>“Because at this stage,” Mal explained, “a prospective -backer would want an audition—at least a -home reading of the play, if not a stage performance -of a couple of scenes. And we’re not ready for that. -You know yourselves how the readings sound. That’s -why we need more rehearsal time and therefore more -money. A backer’s audition at this stage of the game -would be a pure disaster.”</p> -<p>“Couldn’t we change the rehearsal schedule?” -Peggy asked. “I mean, if we all started working just -on one particular scene, couldn’t we get it in good -enough shape to be heard in about a week’s time?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_34">34</div> -<p>“We probably could,” Mal answered, “but there -are a few problems in working that way. For one -thing, we take a chance on throwing the whole development -of the play out of balance by perfecting -one scene before we’ve worked on the rest. My own -method is to work slowly on all parts at once, bringing -them into focus at roughly the same time. The -second problem, a smaller one, is that by doing this -at all, we let the cast know that we’re in financial -trouble. I’d rather avoid that, if we could.”</p> -<p>“I don’t think you need to worry about that,” -Peggy said. “I’ve gotten to know them pretty well in -this last week or so, and I don’t think there’s one -of them who would panic about money or refuse to -go into the extra rehearsal time and the auditioning. -They’re a good group. Don’t you think so?” She appealed -to Greta and Amy.</p> -<p>“Absolutely,” Greta said firmly.</p> -<p>“I’m sure of it,” Amy agreed.</p> -<p>“Well, then! That ought to settle it!” Peggy said. -“Now all you have to do is find someone to audition -for, and give us a week to get ready for him!”</p> -<p>“I’ve got him,” Randy said quietly.</p> -<p>“You’ve what?” Peggy gasped.</p> -<p>“I’ve got him. I’ve got the man to audition for.”</p> -<p>“But ... but,” she sputtered. “How? And why -were you so gloomy if you have a good prospective -backer?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_35">35</div> -<p>“I was gloomy because I hate to have to raise more -money, not because I didn’t think we could do it,” -Randy explained. “And as for the backer—if he turns -out to be a backer and not just a prospect—I’ve had -him from the beginning. He’s a wealthy and important -man, and although he’s crazy enough to like to -invest in plays, he’s cautious enough never to put up -a nickel unless he’s seen an audition he likes. I -showed him the play quite a few months ago and he -said he liked it and was very interested, but he -wouldn’t put up any cash until I could show him a -cast and have them read. In a way, I guess he’s -right. He claims that in off-Broadway shows even -more than on Broadway, the actors make the play. -You can have the best play in the world but a bad -group of amateurs can ruin it, and there’s always a -chance of getting a group of amateurs when you put -on a play downtown. At any rate, he’s half-sold already, -so I guess we have a good chance of selling -him all the way,” Randy finished.</p> -<p>“Who is he?” Peggy asked.</p> -<p>Randy hesitated. “He’s ... well, he’s a rich man -who’s interested in the theater,” he said awkwardly.</p> -<p>“We know that much,” Peggy replied, “but which -rich man? What’s his name?”</p> -<p>“Well—” Randy said, “it may sound peculiar, but -I’d rather not say just yet. You see, I can tell you this -much about him, he’s a very important sort of a man—a -public figure, you might say—and I know how he -hates publicity of any sort. I spoke to him earlier this -evening to see if he’d be willing to come down for an -audition, and he agreed, providing we told nobody -about it. It’s not that he’d mind having it known that -he’s invested in a play, after he decides to do it. But -if it were to get out that he was coming down here -for a private audition, the Penthouse Theater would -be crawling with newspaper reporters and photographers. -Not only would he be bothered, but the publicity -would almost force him to invest, whether he -wanted to or not.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_36">36</div> -<p>“Boy!” Peggy said in wonder. “He must be really -important!”</p> -<p>“He is,” Randy said. “I wouldn’t be this secretive -if he weren’t. You’ll just have to go along with the -game until next week. Then you’ll find out who he -is when he shows up.”</p> -<p>“You can trust us,” Amy said. “We wouldn’t -breathe a word of it. And besides, we don’t know -any reporters!”</p> -<p>“I do,” Greta said. “And even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t -want to know any secret. If it ever got out, I wouldn’t -want to be among the suspected leaks.”</p> -<p>“That’s just why I’m not telling anybody,” Randy -agreed. “That way, if anybody finds out he’s coming -down here, it will have to be from one of his associates, -not from one of us.”</p> -<p>“I guess that makes sense,” Amy agreed ruefully. -“But I can hardly wait to find out what this is all -about!”</p> -<p>“What scene are we going to do, Mal?” Peggy -asked.</p> -<p>“I think the best one,” he replied, “would be Act -Two, Scene Three. The second-act curtain is really -powerful, and besides, it’s Paula Andrews’ best -scene. Not only that, but it brings most of the main -characters together at a time of crisis, when they can -be understood without having seen the rest of the -play.”</p> -<p>“Most of the characters except me,” Peggy said. -“Couldn’t you have chosen something where I’m on -stage?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_37">37</div> -<p>“Sorry, Peggy,” Mal said, “but this one really -makes the most sense.”</p> -<p>“I suppose it does,” she agreed, “but I just hate to -be so useless at an important time like this.”</p> -<p>“Maybe you’ll be useless,” Mal answered, “but I’m -going to see to it that you won’t be idle. Since we -don’t want anything to slip up, and since Paula -hasn’t been looking well lately, I want you to understudy -her part for this audition. Amy will understudy -you, Greta. Some of the other actors who aren’t on -in that scene will back up other parts. Nobody’s going -to be left out of the preparation, even if everyone -isn’t actually used. In that way, the whole cast can -get a chance to see how I go about developing a -complete scene, and maybe that will keep us from -throwing the development of the play off balance, -which is what I’m worried about.”</p> -<p>“It might even help,” Randy said hopefully.</p> -<p>“It might,” Mal said, looking completely unconvinced.</p> -<p>“Before you sink into that swamp of gloom again,” -Peggy said with a laugh, “I think that we’d better -get going. Do you realize that it’s almost one in the -morning, and tomorrow I have a nine-o’clock class -in TV acting techniques? If I don’t get some sleep -I’m going to be the only out-of-focus actress in the -picture!”</p> -<p>Quickly finishing their coffee, the girls put on their -coats once more and said good night to Randy and -Mal. Mal, always thoughtful, insisted on coming -downstairs and seeing them into a taxi, so they -wouldn’t have to make their way home alone at that -late hour.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_38">38</div> -<p>“There’s only one thing now that worries me,” -Peggy said to Amy and Greta as they were being -driven to the Gramercy Arms.</p> -<p>“What’s that?” Amy asked.</p> -<p>“The rest of the cast,” she answered. “We promised -a lot of cooperation from them, and the fact is that -we hardly know them at all. I just hope we were -right!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_39">39</div> -<h2 id="c5"><span class="h2line1">V</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">An Unexpected Scene</span></h2> -<p>Peggy had not been wrong. Far from grumbling -about the extra weeks of rehearsal, most of the actors -were happy about being assured of the additional -pay. Of course there was the inevitable disappointment -that comes from the postponement of an opening -night, but this did not seem really to upset anyone. -Most of the actors agreed that the extended -rehearsal time was needed, and everyone felt a relaxation -of some of the pressure under which they -had been working.</p> -<p>Of course, the main question in the air was the -identity of the secret investor, but Randy maintained -a stubborn silence on this score.</p> -<p>Peggy attended all of Paula’s rehearsals as well as -separate readings of Paula’s role for Mal. She -wrapped herself so thoroughly in Paula’s part that -she nearly forgot her own, which was not difficult, -since rehearsals of all other scenes had been stopped.</p> -<p>Even her lunch hours at the Academy were spent -studying Paula’s lines.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_40">40</div> -<p>It was not an easy part at all. If the other characters -had seemed difficult because of their double or -triple points of view, the leading role was almost impossible. -It had no point of view at all, and every -point of view imaginable!</p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p2.jpg" alt="Studying lines" width="500" height="483" /> -</div> -<p>Paula was to play the part of the daughter of a pair -of embittered millionaire eccentrics who had withdrawn -from society and had never allowed their only -child any contact with the world. She had been -educated by her mother and father and had grown -to the age of twenty-three without ever leaving their -enormous estate. She had never seen any adults except -her parents and a few servants. Before the action -of the play, both of her parents have died within -a few months of each other, and the girl is suddenly -left alone to cope with the problems of existence in -a world for which she is completely unprepared. -Dazed both by the loss of her parents and the new -business of having to deal with people, she decides -to come to the rest home which is the scene of the -play, to slowly get used to her new position.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_41">41</div> -<p>The principal difficulty of the role, Peggy saw, was -quite the reverse of the difficulty of the other parts. -Instead of having been two or three different people, -this girl has never actually been anybody. As a -result, she reacts to each of the actors according to -their characters at the moment. And since each of -them assumes many different roles, depending on -whom he is talking to, the girl is in complete confusion.</p> -<p>Listening to Paula read, Peggy was filled with admiration. -Somehow, in the short time in which the -rest of them had been trying to grasp their roles, -Paula seemed to have mastered hers. Each time she -slipped into a new manner of speech and action, -she gave the impression of doing so with a mixture -of eagerness and fear. As the pace quickened and -the characters and manners changed more rapidly, -the balance between eagerness and fear changed -until, as the scene rose to its climax, eagerness was -replaced by hysteria, fear by terror. At the curtain, -Paula sobbed wildly as the characters around her -shifted as swiftly as the pieces in a kaleidoscope.</p> -<p>The whole group, including the usually taciturn -Mal, broke into applause for Paula, who managed -to smile through the play-tears that she seemed unable -to control.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_42">42</div> -<p>“We’ll have a fifteen-minute break,” Mal called. -“Then, if Paula can stand it, we’ll run through it -again!”</p> -<p>As the actors stood up and stretched before drifting -off to different parts of the room to talk in groups -of twos and threes, Peggy went to Paula Andrews, -still sitting in her straight chair.</p> -<p>“You were wonderful!” she said. “I feel like a fool -understudying you!”</p> -<p>“Don’t be silly, Peggy,” Paula replied. “It’s not me. -It’s the play. Randy has written a marvelous role in -Alison; it almost plays itself. If you have to do it, I -know you’ll do every bit as well.”</p> -<p>“I certainly won’t,” Peggy said, “but what worries -me is that I may have to try if you don’t take care of -yourself. Paula,” she said in a softer tone, “is there -anything the matter? You haven’t been looking at all -well lately, and I’m worried about you. Is something -wrong that I might be able to help you with? If there -is, I wish you’d tell me. You know that I want to be -your friend.”</p> -<p>Smiling wanly, Paula took Peggy’s hand. “Don’t -worry about me,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong. I -guess I’ve just been working too hard—at—at the -department store, you know—and then at night with -these rehearsals. And the part is so demanding, and -I’m so wrapped up in it—” She stopped abruptly, as -if on the verge of tears, but not acting tears this time. -Then she once more managed to smile. “Thank you, -Peggy, but you don’t have to worry. I’ll be perfectly -all right.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_43">43</div> -<p>Peggy said nothing more. She had done all she -could by offering to help, and if Paula wouldn’t admit -anything was wrong, there was nothing further -she could say. But Paula’s manner had convinced her -that something was very wrong indeed, something -far more than a simple case of overwork.</p> -<p>However, when Mal called the cast together again -for a second reading of the scene, all of Paula’s tiredness -seemed suddenly to vanish. She drew strength -from some inner reserves and played with the same -conviction and brilliance as before. Even more, perhaps, -Peggy thought.</p> -<p>Caught in the pace and rhythm of her reading, -the rest of the cast took hold and played up to her, -shifting in and out of character with all the timed -precision of a complex machine. Once again the action -built to the climax, the tears, the curtain, and -the applause. And once again Paula, unable to stop -the crying, went as limp and washed-out as a rag -doll.</p> -<p>“That’s all for tonight,” Mal called. “But before -you go, Randy has a bit of a surprise for you.”</p> -<p>“As you know,” Randy began when the actors had -formed a circle about him, “tomorrow night is the -audition performance. Our possible backer is grateful -for all the work you’ve done on this scene for him, -and to show his gratitude, he’s buying us all a good -dinner first. So instead of coming here, come to Paolo’s -Restaurant on East 48th Street, to the private -dining room upstairs. See you there about six o’clock.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_44">44</div> -<p>Delighted with this gesture, the cast gathered -their coats and hats and prepared to leave. Peggy -hesitated, looking at Paula, who was no longer crying, -but who still sat exhausted where she had finished the -scene.</p> -<p>“Peggy,” Randy said, “will you take Paula home, -please? She looks really exhausted, and I don’t want -her walking, so take a cab, and I’ll pay for it.”</p> -<p>“That’s a good idea,” Peggy agreed. “I’ve been worried -about her, too. Maybe I can get her to tell me if -something’s bothering her. I tried once, but she -didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe in the taxi, -though....”</p> -<p>Paula gladly accepted the lift but, though still -friendly and warm, was no more inclined to talk -about her troubles, if any, than before. The address -she gave proved to be in a fine block of remodeled -town houses on East 36th Street, just a half block off -Park Avenue—not at all the sort of place where -Peggy expected a department-store salesgirl to live.</p> -<p>Without inviting Peggy in, she thanked her for -the ride, waved good-by, and let herself in through -a green-lacquered door with polished brass fittings.</p> -<p>Puzzled and worried, Peggy leaned back in the -taxi seat and gave the driver the address of the -Gramercy Arms.</p> -<p class="tb">Peggy had been in the crowded, brightly lighted, -vaulted cellars of Paolo’s before, on dates with -Randy, but this was the first time she had ever been -in the private dining room. In fact, until now, she -had not even suspected that such a room existed. She -could not have been more astonished, then, to find -that the restaurant occupied the entire four-story -building instead of just the basement.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_45">45</div> -<p>A tiny automatic elevator, that had barely room -enough for four passengers squeezed together, carried -Peggy and Amy to the top floor. Although they were -scarcely five minutes late, the rest of the cast had -already preceded them and were wandering about -talking gaily and eating appetizers from the long, -beautifully decorated table that filled one end of the -room. Peggy spotted Paula, eating hungrily and, between -bites, talking with animation to Greta and -Alan Douglas. She looked much better than she had -the night before, and Peggy felt a sense of relief. -Maybe she had been making too much of just a normal -case of tiredness.</p> -<p>Randy and Mal came hurrying over to take the -girls’ coats and to lead them into the room, which -they showed off as if they owned it.</p> -<p>“This is just the lounge,” Randy said, waving his -hand to indicate the laden table, the fine paneling, -the handsome chandeliers. “Wait till you see the -dining room!”</p> -<p>Leading Amy and Peggy to the other side of the -little entry hall that separated the two rooms, Randy -opened the door of the dining room to let them get -an advance look. The room was dominated by the -biggest circular table that any of them had ever -seen—with ample room for place settings for fourteen. -The center of the huge table was filled with a -low floral centerpiece, punctuated by dozens of tall, -thin candles.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_46">46</div> -<p>The heavily beamed ceiling sloped sharply upward -from a row of six dormer windows facing a -courtyard. On the high wall opposite was an enormous -fireplace whose blaze was reflected in the -bright crystal and silver on the table.</p> -<p>Dazzled by the setting, the girls allowed themselves -to be led back to the lounge to help themselves -to appetizers. Giant cheeses of all shapes alternated -with towering bowls of apples and oranges in the -center of the table, while at the foot of these mountains -were platters of smoked fish, caviar, sliced -cheeses, spiced Italian ham sliced so thin as to be almost -transparent, orderly rows of crackers, baskets of -sliced bread and rolls, bunches of grapes, bowls of -black and green olives, slivers of smoked turkey and -brilliant platters of sliced tomatoes. And surrounding -it all were the actors, airing their manners like -the traditional strolling players invited to a baronial -feast, behaving grandly as if they ate this way every -day in the week!</p> -<p>Laughing at the sight, Peggy happily helped herself -to some of the more exotic foods, wisely conserving -her appetite. After all, if these were just the -appetizers, whatever would dinner be like?</p> -<p>An hour and a half later, contentedly sighing as -the waiter poured a second cup of coffee, Peggy was -glad that she had saved a little appetite. Otherwise -she might never even have tasted it all! Dinner, from -the delicate clear soup, to the lobster Newburg, the -tiny green peas with pearl onions, the crackling thin -julienne potatoes, the crisp, herb-tinged salad, and -the sweet-sour key lime pie, had been a sheer delight.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_47">47</div> -<p>Now, while everyone was resting over coffee and -quiet conversation, Randy stood up to speak. He -tapped gently on his glass with a spoon, and the -crystal rang like a clear, thin bell. The cast members -turned their attention to him.</p> -<p>“I think that you would like to know now whom -to thank for this wonderful dinner,” he said. “I’m allowed -to tell you all at this point, because we’re going -straight from here to his house for the reading. -It seems that the gentleman has several other appointments, -and can’t allow himself time to come -down to the theater, but he does want to hear the -reading, so we’re bringing the theater to him, from -eight to nine-thirty. Now, not to keep you in suspense -any longer, I’ll tell you his name: Sir Brian Alwyne, -Special British Representative to the United Nations!”</p> -<p>A murmur of surprise went up around the table as -the actors turned to each other to comment on this -distinguished man’s interest in their play, and to -speculate on the experience of acting in his home. -But, looking from face to face, Peggy noted, with surprise, -Paula’s peculiar expression. She had gone pale -and white as the table linen, and her face was drawn. -One hand, held to her mouth, was trembling. Suddenly -she stood up, bunching the tablecloth in a -tight grip.</p> -<p>“No!” she cried. “No! I won’t! I won’t act in his -house!”</p> -<p>A shocked silence gripped the room as everyone -turned to stare at her.</p> -<p>“But, Paula, I don’t understand....” Mal began. -“What does it matter if it’s in his house instead of in -the theater? I think you’re being—”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_48">48</div> -<p>“No!” she said again tensely. “You don’t understand. -Of course you don’t. But”—she paused and -looked about her in bewilderment—“I’m sorry,” she -said abruptly, then turned and ran from the room.</p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p3.jpg" alt="Paula turned and ran from the room." width="500" height="668" /> -</div> -<div class="pb" id="Page_49">49</div> -<p>Before Mal and Randy could recover their senses -sufficiently to run after her, she had grabbed her -coat from the startled cloakroom attendant and run -down the stairs. They could hear her heels clattering -more than a floor below.</p> -<p>Randy started after her, but Mal restrained him.</p> -<p>“No use, old chap,” he said. “I don’t know what’s got -into her, but whatever it is, she’s not going to act tonight. -And as far as I’m concerned,” he added -grimly, “I don’t care if she never acts again. If there’s -one thing I can’t stand it’s temperament. Forget it. -Peggy will do the role, and she’ll do it well.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_50">50</div> -<h2 id="c6"><span class="h2line1">VI</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Two Acts of Faith</span></h2> -<p>Jittery though they all were after this startling experience, -the audition went off with surprising -smoothness. Sir Brian, a handsome gentleman with -beautiful manners, received them cordially, allowed -them to rearrange his drawing room, and made them -feel thoroughly at home.</p> -<p>Peggy, though feeling too dazed at Paula’s behavior -to be really aware of what she was doing, -somehow turned in a fine performance. But even as -she was acting to the climax of the scene she was -aware that she was not so much playing the character -of Alison as she was playing Paula’s version of -Alison.</p> -<p>At the scene’s end, Sir Brian and Lady Alwyne applauded -enthusiastically, complimented Peggy especially, -and thanked the company for their trouble in -preparing the scene and coming uptown to act it.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_51">51</div> -<p>“It was most good of you,” Sir Brian exclaimed to -Randy. “And I must compliment you on having -found a company that does justice to your splendid -play. And by the way,” he added in a quieter voice, -“my check for five thousand dollars will be in the -mail tomorrow.”</p> -<p>“Five thousand?” Randy asked, startled. “But -that’s really more than we need, sir.”</p> -<p>“Nonsense,” Sir Brian said firmly. “There’s no such -thing as too much money. You can use the extra for a -little more advertising than you had planned, or for -an extra bit of scenery or something. Now, I don’t like -to hurry you along, but you really must excuse me -if....”</p> -<p>Thanking him profusely, Randy rounded up the -cast, let them know the good news, and hurried -them out. Only the cold bite of the night wind off -the East River convinced him that the whole evening -had not been some sort of fantastic dream, engendered -by an overheated imagination.</p> -<p>“The whole evening!” he said to Peggy, who was -walking arm-in-arm with him a few paces behind -Mal and Amy. “Everything about it seems completely -unlikely!”</p> -<p>“I know,” she agreed. “That fantastic spread at -Paolo’s ... the peculiar business with Paula ... -Sir Brian and Lady Alwyne, looking like a movie -Lord and Lady sent in from Central Casting ... -and then a check for five thousand dollars! It’s almost -too much to believe!”</p> -<p>“What do you think about Paula?” Randy asked. -“Have you any idea what could have been behind -that outburst of temperament?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_52">52</div> -<p>“I don’t know,” Peggy said, “but I don’t think that -temperament is the word to describe it. You know -yourself that she’s not a prima donna type. She’s always -cooperative, works hard at rehearsals, takes -every direction that Mal gives her.... No. I know -she’s not a temperamental person. This is something -else; something we haven’t any idea about. But whatever -it is, I think she’s in some kind of trouble, and I -want to help her if I can.”</p> -<p>“Mal says he doesn’t want to have her in the show -any more,” Randy said. “He told me he thinks you -can do a good job in the part. If you just forget -about Paula, you can have the role.”</p> -<p>“Randy!” Peggy said in a shocked voice. “Paula’s -my friend, and I want to help her, not steal parts -from her! And besides, I couldn’t possibly do Alison -as well as she does. You saw for yourself tonight that -I wasn’t creating a role. I was imitating a role. -Paula’s a far better and more finished actress than -I’ll be for many years, if ever, and I think that we -owe it to your play to get her back, if she’ll come.”</p> -<p>“And if Mal will have her,” Randy added.</p> -<p>“And if she’s all right,” Peggy mused. “Randy, I’m -really worried about her. Let me go talk to her -right now for a half hour or so, and I’ll join you three -for coffee after. When I’ve spoken to her, I’ll have a -better idea, I know, about whether or not we can -count on her. Leave it to me, will you, Randy?”</p> -<p>Randy walked along in silence for a moment before -replying. “All right,” he said. “I’m perfectly willing -to trust your judgment, and I know that Mal will -give every consideration to what you say. I guess it -is a good idea for someone to go see her now. Whatever’s -wrong with her, she’s gone through a bad evening -and can use a friend.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_53">53</div> -<p>After catching up with Amy and Mal and explaining -what Peggy wanted to do, they arranged to meet -at Dodo’s Coffeehouse downtown. Randy hailed a -cab and helped Peggy in. “I think you’re right -about Paula,” he said before closing the door. “And -I’m glad you want to help her. Good luck!”</p> -<p>At 36th Street, Peggy dismissed the cab, sure that -she would find Paula at home. She pushed the button -marked “<span class="sc">ANDREWS</span>” and waited a moment until -the little speaker crackled and Paula’s voice, sounding -tired and far away, answered, “Who is it?”</p> -<p>“It’s Peggy Lane. May I come up to see you?”</p> -<p>A moment’s hesitation, and then, “All right. Third -floor rear.” A buzzer sounded in the green door, -and Peggy let herself in.</p> -<p>Going up in the little elevator, Peggy wondered -again how Paula could afford to live in such an -elegant place. She had some idea of the rents in these -well-maintained remodeled buildings, and also some -idea of what a salesgirl in a department store -earned. “Well, it’s none of my business,” she told -herself. “Maybe someone left her an income or something. -Or maybe her parents pay the rent for her. But -that’s not what I’m here to find out.”</p> -<p>Paula, looking more pale, drawn, and tired than -Peggy had ever seen her before, opened the door and -motioned Peggy in. The apartment, obviously rented -furnished, was comfortable enough, but almost without -personality, like a hotel room. It consisted of one -bedroom-sitting room, a compact kitchenette and a -bath. The only sign that anyone lived in it was a -small collection of books, no more than a dozen, on -a shelf.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_54">54</div> -<p>“Sit down, Peggy,” Paula said formally. Then, -as if she were asking about some event that didn’t -concern her at all, but asking only out of politeness, -she said, “And how did the audition go? Were you -good? And did Sir Brian invest in the play?”</p> -<p>“It went very well,” Peggy said gloomily, “considering -that it was me and not you. Sir Brian is putting -five thousand dollars into the production.”</p> -<p>“Then I guess I’m fired,” Paula said, in the same -lifeless tone.</p> -<p>“You don’t have to be,” Peggy said. “If you can -only explain—or just convince Mal and Randy in -some way that it won’t happen again—I know they -want you back!”</p> -<p>“That’s nice of you, Peggy,” Paula said, “but I -can’t explain. And there’s no point in my trying to. -No, the part is yours.”</p> -<p>“But I don’t want it!” Peggy said earnestly. “I’d -never have been able to play that scene if I hadn’t -seen you do it so often! All I was doing was a fair -imitation. You’ve got to come back and do the part!”</p> -<p>“Peggy,” Paula said with sudden intensity, “it’s -not a question of my wanting to come back and do -the part or not. It’s a question of being accepted -back. Of course I want to do it! But Mal and Randy -have to make the decision that they’re willing to -let me come back after the terrible way I acted this -evening.”</p> -<p>“If you could just tell them why—” Peggy began.</p> -<p>“I can’t. Honestly, I can’t,” Paula interrupted. “I -would if I could, but if they’re going to take me back, -it can’t depend on an explanation. They’ll just have -to do it on faith—and on my promise that nothing -like this will happen again. That’s the only assurance -I can give them.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_55">55</div> -<p>“Are you so sure it won’t?” Peggy asked. “I mean, -it was such an emotional outburst, you hardly -seemed to know what you were saying. How can you -be positive that you won’t fly off again like that? I -don’t mean to be hard on you, but they have to know.”</p> -<p>“All I can say, Peggy,” Paula answered, “is that as -long as the rehearsals are as private as they have -been, and as long as Sir Brian doesn’t come around -the theater till opening night, I’ll be all right.”</p> -<p>“And after opening night?” Peggy pursued.</p> -<p>“Oh, once we open, I don’t care who comes!” -Paula said. “In fact, all I want is to have the whole -world come to see us!”</p> -<p>“Well,” Peggy said after a moment’s reflection, -“I’m convinced that you’ll be all right, and I’ll do -what I can to convince the boys. But I won’t mention -what you said about Sir Brian not coming -around. It’ll just sound peculiar, and I’m sure he -won’t come anyhow, he’s so busy. We’ll be lucky if -he even comes to a performance.”</p> -<p>“Thanks, Peggy,” Paula said warmly. “Thank you -so much for your faith in me. You’re a wonderful -friend. And I know you’ll convince the boys! I’ll call -you in the morning to find out, all right?”</p> -<p>“Fine. Meanwhile you’d better get a good night’s -sleep. You look as if you need some rest. We’ve all -been worried about your health. I’ll see you tomorrow -at the theater, I’m sure!”</p> -<p>The whole visit with Paula had taken only fifteen -minutes, and Peggy arrived at Dodo’s Coffeehouse -only a minute after the others, who had taken a -bus. She sat down and looked in silence at the three -expectant faces that confronted her.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_56">56</div> -<p>“You look like baby birds,” she laughed, “waiting -for a worm!”</p> -<p>“How’s Paula?” Amy asked. “Is she all right?”</p> -<p>“Yes, she’s all right,” Peggy replied, “and I think -she’ll be all right for the rest of the play, too, if you’ll -have her back, Mal. The only thing that troubles me -is that she can’t—or won’t—explain what happened -to her tonight. She wants to be in the play, but she -says that if you want her, you’ll just have to take her -back on faith.”</p> -<p>“Is that all?” Mal asked.</p> -<p>“That and her promise that it won’t happen -again,” Peggy answered. “I know it sounds pretty unreasonable, -but, Mal, I really believe she knows -what she’s saying, and that she’ll be okay. I don’t -know what’s wrong, but as I told Randy, I’m sure -she’s in some kind of trouble, and if she is, we -shouldn’t make it worse. I think we ought to try to -help her in whatever way we can. Maybe if we trust -her, and show her that we do by taking her back, -she’ll get to trust us, and tell us what’s wrong. Anyway, -I think that we should take the chance.”</p> -<p>“How about you, Amy?” Mal asked.</p> -<p>“I agree with Peggy,” she said.</p> -<p>“Randy?”</p> -<p>“I’m for taking her back. If not on her own word, -then on Peggy’s. And besides, I think everybody -ought to have a second chance.”</p> -<p>“All right,” Mal said. “I don’t want to hold out -against the rest of you. She’s back. Peggy, do you -want to be the one to tell her?”</p> -<p>“She’s going to call me in the morning to find out,” -Peggy answered.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_57">57</div> -<p>“Good,” Mal said. “And while you’re at it, tell -her she’d better start reading up on the whole play -again, with special attention to Act One, Scene Three. -That’s what we’re starting on in the next rehearsal -tomorrow night.”</p> -<p>That settled, they turned their attention to coffee -and cake, and their conversation to the five-thousand-dollar -investment and what they would do with -it—as if, Peggy thought, it had been the least important -part of the busy evening’s events!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_58">58</div> -<h2 id="c7"><span class="h2line1">VII</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">An Intermission</span></h2> -<p>It was a good thing, Peggy thought, that she was -going to the New York Dramatic Academy and not to -a more conventional kind of school. Mr. Macaulay, -the director of the Academy, approved of his students’ -taking part in off-Broadway plays, and made -certain concessions to those who were doing so, such -as excusing them from school plays. While this eliminated -the necessity of learning the lines of two plays -at once, and also gave Peggy more free time than the -other students, it did not excuse her from her regular -school work.</p> -<p>She attended classes in History of the Theater, -Elizabethan Playwrights, Restoration Drama, Acting -for the Camera, Ballet and Modern Dance, and -Make-up Techniques.</p> -<p>It was a full schedule all by itself.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_59">59</div> -<p>But, of course, it wasn’t all by itself. Classes filled -the day from nine in the morning till three in the -afternoon, and rehearsals began at six in the evening -at the Penthouse Theater and ran on to midnight. -On Saturdays, rehearsals and scene painting and -construction filled the day from nine to six. This -grueling schedule left Peggy only three hours each -day to study for her classes at the Academy and to -learn her lines for <i>Come Closer</i>, and practically no -time except Sundays for such things as hair washing, -personal laundry, letter writing and all the other -things that usually seem to take no time at all because -they are spread through the week.</p> -<p>Sometimes she wondered how she would ever do -it all. But other times she wondered how she could -ever again enjoy a life that was less full, less active, -less exciting. She was very busy, and very, very -happy.</p> -<p>Now it was a few minutes past six on a Saturday -evening, and she and Amy were carefully washing -the paint from their hands and faces. Peggy leaned -across the basin, very close to the mirror, for a minute -inspection, found one last little spot of green on the -lobe of her ear, and carefully removed it.</p> -<p>“I think I’m all clean,” she said. “How about you?”</p> -<p>“Just a few more spots,” Amy answered. “Then -I’ll inspect you and you inspect me.”</p> -<p>“Oh, we don’t need to be that thorough,” Peggy -said. “If we hurry, we’ll have plenty of time for baths -at home before the boys come to pick us up.”</p> -<p>“I would surely like to know what you call plenty -of time,” Amy laughed. “The boys are coming for us -in two hours, and we have to face the Saturday night -line-up at the bathrooms, which can be worse than -waiting for tickets at a World Series game!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_60">60</div> -<p>“No, the worst is over by now,” Peggy said. “I -happen to know that Irene, the Beautiful Model, has -a date picking her up at six-thirty, which means that -she’s climbing out of the tub right now. Greta is staying -home tonight, which means she’ll let us have the -bath first. Dot is out of town, so that just leaves us, -Gaby and Maggie to share the two baths. I think -we’ll make it!”</p> -<p>“You have it planned like a general!” Amy said. -“I salute you.”</p> -<p>“Right down to the camouflage!” Peggy laughed -in answer. “Mine is the dark blue cocktail dress. -What are you wearing to divert the troops?”</p> -<p>“A print,” Amy said, with an unusual air of decision -for a girl who could never make up her mind about -what to wear until the last possible minute. “The only -thing I haven’t decided yet,” she added, “is whether -to wear my print with the three-quarter sleeves, or -yours with the cap sleeves, or Maggie’s sleeveless -chiffon. What do you think?”</p> -<p>“Why not wear any one of them, and take the -other two in a little suitcase?” Peggy teased. “Then -you can change during the evening and keep us in a -constant state of surprise!”</p> -<p>By this time, they had finished washing, had -changed from their stagehands’ coveralls, and were -dressed to go. They found Greta waiting for them in -the little lobby downstairs, and the three set off for -the Gramercy Arms.</p> -<p>“How did your rehearsal go today, Greta?” Peggy -asked.</p> -<p>“Fine,” Greta said, but her tone was a little doubtful.</p> -<p>“Is something wrong?” Amy asked.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_61">61</div> -<p>“No. Not exactly, that is. The scenes we were -working on are shaping up very well, but all of us -are still a little worried about Paula. Not about her -acting,” she added hurriedly. “We think she’s just -wonderful. It’s ... well, it’s something else.”</p> -<p>“You’re not still worried about last week, are you?” -Peggy asked. “I mean about that scene at Paolo’s? If -you are, I’m sure that—”</p> -<p>“No, it’s not that,” Greta said. “We’re all convinced -that whatever it was that caused that blowup, it won’t -happen again. She’s not at all a temperamental person. -No, we’re worried about her health. At least I -am.”</p> -<p>“So am I,” Peggy confessed. “Amy and I were -talking about it today. She looks so drawn and pale -and ... tense. I’ve tried to speak to her about it, -but she just refuses to admit that there’s anything -wrong.”</p> -<p>“That’s the way she’s been with all of us,” Greta -said. “She insists it’s just our imaginations, and -that she never felt better. Or she says that it’s a case -of character identification, and she’s beginning to -look like the part she’s playing. But if that’s true, -then she’s the best actress in the history of the theater.”</p> -<p>“Which she may well be,” Peggy said loyally. “But -even if she is, I don’t think that’s the cause.”</p> -<p>“Since there doesn’t seem to be anything we can -do about it,” Amy commented, “I think the best thing -to do is to leave her alone and not bother her by asking -about it. If she wants help, she knows we’re -her friends.”</p> -<p>“I guess so,” Peggy agreed reluctantly. “Still, I’m -worried.”</p> -<p>They continued home in a rather troubled silence.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_62">62</div> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p4.jpg" alt="Preparing for an evening’s date" width="500" height="664" /> -</div> -<p>Peggy’s planned attack on the bathtubs worked -out just perfectly, and the two friends had plenty of -time to prepare themselves for the evening’s date. -The comforting dip in the hot tub and the change -to their best party clothes (or, rather, Peggy’s best -party clothes, since Amy elected to wear her print -dress) served to change their mood as well. By the -time that Randy and Mal rang at the door, Peggy -and Amy were ready and waiting, in a cheerful -mood of anticipation.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_63">63</div> -<p>This was the first time that they had taken a real -night off for over a month, and they were all looking -forward to an enjoyable evening, free of the worries -of the production. After a few minutes devoted to -discussion, they decided to go for a drive into Westchester -County for dinner and dancing in the country. -All agreed that if they were trying to get their -minds off the play, the best thing to do was to get -out of the city, with its permanent air of show business.</p> -<p>It was a clear and starry night that had mixed in -it the elements of two seasons—the end of winter -and the first hint of spring. The stars were as hard -and bright as in winter’s clear skies, but the air was -almost soft, and the trees silhouetted against the pale -sky, though still bare of leaves, were fuller in the -bareness than they had been a week before; the -buds on the branch tips were swollen, nearly ready -to burst into little green flags.</p> -<p>Randy’s car, an old, but still elegant English convertible -sedan, purred smoothly through the countryside. -Peggy, settled comfortably in the deep leather -seat, felt as if she were already a thousand miles -away from New York, the theater, and her hard -week’s work.</p> -<p>Randy drove with skill and confidence, and in far -less time than they had thought possible, they were -pulling into the driveway of a low stone restaurant -with a slate-shingled roof, screened from the road by -evergreens and shrubbery. The restaurant overhung -a little lake in whose still surface its lights were reflected.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_64">64</div> -<p>Inside, in a low room illuminated only by candles, -a small orchestra was playing quiet dance music, -and a few couples drifted about the floor. A courteous -headwaiter, after checking their names on the -list of reservations, led them to a small room containing -only about a dozen tables. Their table was at -the side of the room, by a picture window overlooking -the lake, which could be seen, dark and bright, -through the reflections of themselves and the swaying -flames of the candles on their table.</p> -<p>“A thousand miles away,” Peggy was thinking. -“No, a million miles!” as the conversation, as light -and pleasant and unimportant as the music, went -on. They were talking about the charming restaurant, -the countryside, and the pleasures of getting out of -the city.</p> -<p>“We’ll have to come here in summer,” Randy was -saying. “They have little boats on the lake and you -make them go with paddlewheels worked with a -kind of hand crank. They have fringed canvas awnings -on top, and cushioned seats to lean back in. -The lake is bigger than it looks, and has lots of pretty -coves and inlets, and even a landscaped island up at -the far end. It’s a nice place to drift around.”</p> -<p>With a little twinge of feeling that she did not care -to examine too closely, Peggy found herself wondering -whom Randy had rowed around the lake, but she -quickly put the thought out of her mind. She had -no right to think about things like that, she told herself. -Her relationship with Randy was ... well, it -was what it was.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_65">65</div> -<p>Peggy had no desire to be serious, except about the -theater. And even the theater, she thought, should -stay in the background tonight. She and the others -had been living nothing but theater lately, and it was -good for them to sit in this cozy, candlelit room and -talk about things that didn’t matter; things like the -coming of spring, rowing on the lake, or what to -have for dinner.</p> -<p>But keeping actors from talking about the theater -is as hopeless as trying to keep the tide from coming -in. No matter what they start to talk about, it always -ends up on stage. If the conversation is about books, -somebody soon mentions a book that was made into -a play, and they’re off again in stage talk. If the conversation -is even about something as far removed -from the theater as, say, sailboat racing, sooner or -later somebody will be reminded of a sailor who -wrote a play, or was an actor, and ... on stage.</p> -<p>Tonight was no exception, and by the time they -were on their main course of rare, tender steaks with -Idaho potatoes, buttered peas and green salad with -Roquefort dressing, the talk had quite naturally -drifted onto the inevitable subject.</p> -<p>“Are you satisfied with the way the play is developing, -Mal?” Randy asked. “Does the cast live up to -your hopes?”</p> -<p>“It’s going well,” Mal answered, with his usual -English reserve. “My worries about making the development -lopsided by working out one scene so -thoroughly for the audition have proven to be -groundless. If anything, I think it was a good experience -for us all. We learned, under the most intense -conditions, how to work together. We learned to respect -each other, too, and that’s probably the most -important thing that can happen to a company.”</p> -<p>“How about Paula?” Peggy asked.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_66">66</div> -<p>“A wonderful actress,” Mal said with unusual enthusiasm. -“I wonder where she learned it all. Even -a natural talent like hers isn’t all natural, you know. -Somewhere along the line, she had first-rate instruction.”</p> -<p>“She said something to me about coming from -California and doing some little-theater things -there,” Peggy said, “but she was rather vague about -it, and I got the feeling that she wouldn’t welcome -any questions.”</p> -<p>“She’s rather vague about everything,” Randy -said, “except her acting ability. That’s as clear as can -be.”</p> -<p>“I wonder where she played in California,” Mal -said. “I have the feeling that I’ve seen her somewhere -before, and I may have run across her when I -was out in Hollywood. I know she looks familiar, at -any rate.”</p> -<p>“She didn’t say,” Peggy replied. “All she told me -was California, and I know it’s a big state. I suppose -it might have been in the north, around San Francisco, -but somehow I have the impression it was Los -Angeles. Maybe that’s just because I only think of -Los Angeles when I think of the acting business and -California.”</p> -<p>“Why are you so anxious to know?” Amy asked -Mal.</p> -<p>Taken aback a little, Mal hesitated before answering. -“I’m not actually anxious to know about her,” he -said at last. “For my purposes as a director I already -know all I need to—that she’s a splendid actress. It’s -just that such secretiveness as hers always inspires a -little corresponding curiosity.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_67">67</div> -<p>“Well, frankly, I am curious,” Peggy said. “But I’m -not as curious about her past as I am about her present. -What worries me is her health. Haven’t you all -noticed how pale she looks, and how thin and drawn -she’s getting?”</p> -<p>“I have noticed her condition, of course,” Mal said -with concern, “and I’ve asked her about it, as you -have. She only says that I’m not to worry, and that -she’ll be all right for the opening.”</p> -<p>“Well, I hope she knows what she’s doing,” Randy -said. “I’d hate to have her get ill now, and have to -start training a replacement. Besides, where would -we get someone as good as....” He looked at Peggy -and reddened.</p> -<p>“Oh, Randy,” she laughed, “you don’t have to be -embarrassed about telling the truth. I know I’m not -nearly as good as Paula, and you all know it, too. -Though it’s very sweet of you to try to pretend that I -am. But I didn’t walk away from the part just because -I’m a nice girl and wanted to help Paula. I’m -too much of an actress to be entirely unselfish when -it comes to a good role! No, I just knew it was meant -for her, and it was more than I could handle.”</p> -<p>Since, out of honesty, nobody wanted to contradict -her, and out of embarrassment, nobody wanted -to agree, an awkward little silence fell over the table. -It lasted for only a moment, though, until Randy -broke it by asking Peggy if she would like to dance. -She nodded happily, relieved, and Mal and Amy -followed them into the next room where the band -was playing.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_68">68</div> -<p>Randy was a wonderful dancer, having performed -professionally as a song-and-dance man for some -time, and Peggy felt that she herself never danced -as well as when she was with him. Once again, the -theater and its worries, Paula Andrews and her mysterious -trouble, faded into the background as Peggy -and Randy drifted slowly and easily about the polished -floor.</p> -<p>Once again, the conversation turned light and -pleasant and far removed from their everyday problems, -and the candlelit restaurant seemed to Peggy -to be a thousand miles removed from everything real.</p> -<p>But when it came time to leave, and when the car -was once more purring along the road, the thousand-mile -distance shrank to its true proportions of perhaps -thirty-five miles. And every mile they drove -brought them closer again to the busy, theatrical -city, where even Randy’s good-night kiss at the doorstep -could not remove from Peggy’s mind a sense of -tension and trouble to come.</p> -<p>What the trouble might be, she could not say. -What the tension’s cause was, she did not know. -But surely at the center of it was the pale and sensitive -face of Paula Andrews.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_69">69</div> -<h2 id="c8"><span class="h2line1">VIII</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Curtain Fall</span></h2> -<p>“No, not that way, Greta,” Mal called from his seat -in the orchestra. “Don’t sit down as if you knew the -chair was there and as if you knew exactly what kind -of a chair it was. I want you to give the impression -of being unsure of yourself and your surroundings. -Before you sit, look behind you quickly—maybe -even touch the top of the chair—<i>then</i> sit down.”</p> -<p>“But, Mal,” Greta said, coming to the apron of the -stage to talk to him, “I’ve already used this chair -earlier in the act, and I should be familiar with it by -now. If I do it this way, isn’t it just going to look like -an awkward piece of acting?”</p> -<p>“No,” Mal said. “When you used it before, it was -when you were in a different personality mood, remember? -This little difference will help to establish -the change in your personality. It’s a small thing, and -the audience may not even be aware of it consciously, -but it’ll help to form the impression I want them to -get. Try it, anyway, and I’ll see how it looks from out -front.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_70">70</div> -<p>Greta agreed, and returned to the wings to pick -up her entrance cue again. This time, when she entered, -it was as if she had not been on stage before at -all. She crossed unsurely to stage center to exchange -a few lines with Alan Douglas and, when she was -asked to sit down, turned a little, as Mal had told -her, reached out a tentative hand to touch the back -of the chair—but withdrew it before she touched it, -and then swiftly sat down.</p> -<p>“Like that?” she asked Mal.</p> -<p>“Just like that,” he answered with satisfaction. -“That chair bit is the give-away, and it’s perfect. I -like your not quite touching it. Keep it in! Now let’s -take it from there, Alan.”</p> -<p>Peggy waited in the wings for her own entrance -cue. This time she was to come on aggressively, as -the pampered ex-child movie star, to play against -Greta’s shy confusion. In their previous exchange, -Peggy had been quiet, well-mannered, even subservient -in her character of plain-Jane secretary, for -Greta had been acting the crisp, assured businesswoman.</p> -<p>Waiting, she watched with fascination how the -play was taking shape. This evening was the first -time they had been allowed to run through the entire -play from beginning to end. The first time they -had tried it, everyone could see how much work -needed to be done, how shaky the whole structure -was. But this time, the second of the evening, Mal -had already done much to establish character and to -direct movement on stage, and the production was -gradually achieving a vitality of its own.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_71">71</div> -<p>It was late, and everyone was tired, but they had -all decided to finish their second run-through of the -evening anyway, feeling that they would gain more -from doing it all at once. At the rate they were going, -it would be after one o’clock before they were -through, and two o’clock before most of them were -in their beds.</p> -<p>Peggy heard her cue lines coming up, and she got -ready. At the right moment, she entered the stage -with a kind of athletic bound, swinging an imaginary -tennis racket. She tossed the “racket” (she would -have one in the play) at the “couch” (a row of three -chairs, at present) and perched on the edge of a table.</p> -<p>“My travel agent said that this place was different,” -she said contemptuously, “and I guess it is, if -different means dead.”</p> -<p>“Don’t take it quite so heavy, Peggy,” Mal called -out. “You shouldn’t be so much disgusted with the -place as you are, really, with yourself. You know that -no matter how good it really might be, it wouldn’t -suit you, because nothing ever does. Make the expression -more regretful than contemptuous. And for the -same reason, tone down your entrance a little.”</p> -<p>Peggy nodded to show her understanding, and -went back to the wings again.</p> -<p>The scene, when played, would last only about -five minutes, but Mal was hard to please and would -let nothing pass. By the time it was over, the rehearsal -of it had taken forty minutes and Peggy was -glad to make her exit and sit down on a box near the -switchboard where she could watch the next scene.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_72">72</div> -<p>This one would go smoothly, she knew. It was the -scene they had worked on for the audition at Sir -Brian Alwyne’s, and although they had not worked -out their stage movements as yet, the cast already -had developed pace and rhythm.</p> -<p>Paula’s entrance, bewildered, awkward and eager -to please, was perfect. She was as graceful and appealing -as a doe. One by one, the other actors came -on, each in turn trying to find some point of contact -with her, each trying to please her. And as each -failed, he went off, to return again in another mood -or personality. The pace quickened. Paula’s confusion -grew greater. The tension she projected was communicated -to everyone present, those on stage and -those in the wings or in the orchestra seats watching, -as it would be to the audience. The second act was -approaching its emotional crisis, uninterrupted by -Mal, who sat as if entranced, on the edge of his seat.</p> -<p>Finally, at precisely the right moment, when it -could go on not one moment more without shattering, -the tension broke in a flood of emotion. Paula -dropped to her knees in tears, then sank in a heap on -the floor, sobbing. The scene was over. The actors -turned expectantly to Mal, waiting for his comments, -his praise.</p> -<p>But Paula did not rise, and she was not sobbing -any longer.</p> -<p>Peggy realized in a flash that this was not like some -of the previous rehearsals where Paula had been unable -to stop the flood of stage tears that she had so -skillfully built up to. This was different.</p> -<p>She rushed out on stage to where Paula lay huddled -in a pool of light, and knelt by her side to shake -her gently, but Paula did not move. Peggy turned -her over and motioned the rest of the cast to move -back. Paula lay pale and limp beneath the floodlights. -She was breathing in quick uneven gasps.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_73">73</div> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p5.jpg" alt="She’s fainted!" width="600" height="340" /> -</div> -<p>“She’s fainted,” Peggy announced. “Somebody call -a doctor!”</p> -<p>But Paula’s eyes flickered open, and she said in a -weak voice, “No. Just take me home, please, Peggy. -I’m ... I’m sorry. But I’ll be all right. I just want to -go home now.” She closed her eyes again.</p> -<p>“What do you think?” Peggy asked Mal, who by -this time had reached her side. “Shall I take her -home, or call a doctor?”</p> -<p>“I think you can get her home before we could -persuade a doctor to come down to this half-deserted -neighborhood,” Mal said. “Why don’t you take her -home and make her comfortable? We’ll get a cab, -and I’ll go with you to carry her in case she faints -again. Meanwhile, Randy can call a doctor and have -him go directly to Paula’s apartment.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_74">74</div> -<p>“No,” Paula protested, “I don’t need a doctor. I’ll -be all right once I’m home. There’s nothing really -wrong with....” She tried to sit up, and with the -effort fainted once more.</p> -<p>“Come on,” Mal said. “Get your coat, Peggy. Alan! -Will you go out after a cab, please? Randy, call the -doctor right away! Everybody else, go on home. Rehearsals -are over for tonight. See you all tomorrow, -same time.”</p> -<p>This time Paula did not come out of her faint until -they were nearly at her house. She made no attempt -to talk, or even to protest when Mal carried her from -the taxi. When they had her upstairs, lying on the -daybed, Mal turned to leave.</p> -<p>“I don’t think I’d better stay,” he said, “but the -doctor ought to be here any minute. You’ll stay with -her, won’t you, Peggy, until you find out from him -what’s wrong?”</p> -<p>“Of course,” Peggy said. “And if it’s not too late, -I’ll call you when I leave. Otherwise, I’ll let you -know in the morning. Good night, Mal, and thanks -for your help.”</p> -<p>“Yes, thank you, Mal,” Paula said weakly, with a -small smile. Then, once again, she closed her eyes.</p> -<p class="tb">It had not taken the doctor long to diagnose -Paula’s condition. Peggy had gone out to fill the -prescription, and was now busy preparing it. It was -some chicken soup, toast and tea, to be followed in -the morning with a light breakfast, then a good, -hearty lunch.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_75">75</div> -<p>“I can’t understand why you didn’t tell me about -it,” Peggy said. “You know I would have loaned you -some money. It’s just ridiculous for anyone to go -hungry when she has friends! You can’t imagine -how shocked I was when the doctor said that you -were suffering from malnutrition, and that you didn’t -seem to have eaten anything for at least two days! -Maybe I’ve led too sheltered a life, but I never -even <i>heard</i> of anyone starving—not in this country, -anyway.”</p> -<p>“It can happen anywhere, I guess,” Paula said, -with a sad smile.</p> -<p>“But why?” Peggy cried. “Why didn’t you let me -help you?”</p> -<p>“I would have, Peggy, if it had been just a sudden -thing, but it wasn’t. It was a continuing thing. I -guess if I had had enough to eat during the last -month, I wouldn’t have keeled over from going for -two days without anything. I’ve been living on -canned beans and bread and other cheap food for -over a month now, and to ask for help would have -meant asking for regular help—every week. And I -didn’t want to take advantage of anyone that way.”</p> -<p>“But, Paula, that’s so silly!” Peggy protested. -“How long did you think you would be able to go on -without proper food?”</p> -<p>“I was just trying to hold out until tomorrow, when -my pay check comes in from Randy and Mal. Then -I could have had something to eat.”</p> -<p>“Do you mean to say,” Peggy asked in astonishment, -“that you’ve been trying to live on just the rehearsal -salary? Why, that’s hardly enough to pay the -rent in a place like this, much less to eat!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_76">76</div> -<p>“I know,” Paula said. “I’ve been finding that out. -But we go into full pay for rehearsal next week, and I -thought I could hold out until then. I guess I was -wrong, wasn’t I?”</p> -<p>“But what about your job at the department store?” -Peggy asked.</p> -<p>“Oh. I—I lied about that, Peggy. I was laid off -right after the Christmas season, and I haven’t been -working since then. I had some money put aside, but -it was almost gone when I got the part in the play. -Then I thought I could live on the rehearsal money -until we went into full pay. By the time I found I -couldn’t, I was too weak to take a full-time job.”</p> -<p>“But you could have moved to some less expensive -place, couldn’t you?” Peggy asked. “This little apartment -must cost a lot of money.”</p> -<p>“It does,” Paula admitted, “but I like it here, and I -didn’t want to give it up. I thought that I could -manage. I’m sorry now. I’ve caused everybody so -much trouble.”</p> -<p>“That’s the least of our worries,” Peggy said, filling -up Paula’s bowl with a second helping of chicken -soup. “The question now is how you’re going to get -along for the next week until the full pay comes in. -And also how you’re going to live here, even on -that.”</p> -<p>“Oh, I’ll get by, Peggy. I know I will. Besides, I -have such faith in the play. I know it will be a hit, -and if it is, our salaries will go up above the minimum. -Randy told me how much I could expect to earn as -the lead, if we have a success, and it’s plenty for me -to live on.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_77">77</div> -<p>“But until then,” Peggy said, “you’re going to need -more cash. Isn’t there somebody you can go to for -help? How about your family?”</p> -<p>“Oh, no!” Paula said. “My family ... I haven’t -any family. I mean, I’m an orphan. My parents are -dead, and I haven’t anyone else. I’ve been supporting -myself for a long time, and I’m used to it.”</p> -<p>“Well, then,” Peggy said firmly, “I’m going to have -to be your family, and you’ll have to accept help -from me. I would say that you’ll need about fifty -dollars a week to add to what you earn—at least until -we get to be a hit, if we do. And since you haven’t -anybody else, you’ll have to let me get it for you.”</p> -<p>“Oh, no, I can’t let you do that, Peggy!” Paula -protested. “I know that you haven’t got that kind of -money, and besides, I ... I don’t want any help. I -can take care of myself. I want to take care of myself!”</p> -<p>Peggy sat down on the edge of the bed and took -Paula’s hand. “I can understand the way you feel,” -she said, “but that’s a foolish kind of pride. Everybody -wants to think they’re taking care of themselves, -but really nobody does. Before your parents -died, they took care of you. They fed you and -clothed you and taught you to walk and talk. If -somebody hadn’t taken care of you then, you -wouldn’t have lived to want to take care of yourself. -As we grow up, we take care of ourselves more and -more, but we’re never completely on our own. Everybody -needs someone else. That’s what friends are for. -And you’ve got to let me be your friend.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_78">78</div> -<p>Paula’s eyes filled with tears. “I suppose you’re -right, Peggy. It is just foolish pride, and you’re so -good to talk to me this way and to want to help me. -But ... what I said before. I know you can’t afford -it!”</p> -<p>“Of course I can’t,” Peggy said. “But I’ve got -friends—and many of them are your friends, too, -and I intend to ask them. I’m going to talk to all the -members of the cast who have jobs, and to the girls -who live at the Gramercy Arms, and we’ll get up a -group to help you out. That way it won’t cost anyone -more than three or four dollars a week, which we -won’t miss too much.”</p> -<p>“Oh, Peggy, that’s so good of you,” Paula said, -“but I feel so ashamed to take your money!”</p> -<p>“Think how ashamed we’d feel,” Peggy said, “if -we weren’t able to help you. And besides, we’re not -doing it just for you. We’re doing it for the play. We -need you in the play. There’s nobody else who can do -the Alison part the way you can ... and even if -there were, it would be too late now for a cast substitution. -No, it’s your part, and it’s our play, and we -have to keep you in good condition to do it. It’s a -difficult enough role to play even if you’re well-fed, -and I just don’t believe you can do it if you’re half-starved. -Now I don’t want to hear another word -about it except ‘yes.’”</p> -<p>Paula’s smile was stronger now, between spoonfuls -of soup. She looked up, her eyes still wet, and -softly said, “Yes. Thanks.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_79">79</div> -<p>“Good. That’s settled,” Peggy said. “Now, would -you like some tea and toast? The doctor said not to -give you more than this to eat tonight, no matter -how hungry you said you felt. No. No butter. He -said dry toast, but I suppose you can dunk it in the -tea, if you like.”</p> -<p>While Paula was eating the last scrap of tea and -toast, and protesting that she felt a good deal more -like eating a steak, Peggy got some pajamas for her -from a bureau drawer, and a robe and some slippers -from the closet. Then, since Paula was still weak, -she helped her change into them, made up the daybed, -and tucked her in bed.</p> -<p>“You look a lot better now,” Peggy said. “The best -thing for you to do is get a good night’s sleep. You’ll -feel better in the morning. You’ll find eggs and butter -and coffee and orange juice in the kitchen, so you -can make breakfast for yourself, but after eating, go -back to bed and rest. That’s doctor’s orders. I’ll come -up here at noontime, and we can go out for a good -lunch together.”</p> -<p>Cutting Paula’s thanks short with a wave of her -hand, Peggy said a quick good night and left. It was -past her bedtime, too.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_80">80</div> -<h2 id="c9"><span class="h2line1">IX</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">One for the Money....</span></h2> -<p>In the comfortable, well-furnished living room of -the Gramercy Arms, Peggy prepared to call a meeting -to order.</p> -<p>May Berriman, the retired actress who owned the -house, sat regally in a high-backed, thronelike chair. -Her hands were busy with a tiny silver bobbin and -a tatting needle, making delicate lace; but they -seemed to be working with an intelligence of their -own while their owner, not even looking at them, was -busily observing the faces of “her girls.”</p> -<p>Irene Marshall, the house beauty, was gracefully -curled up on the couch in the sort of decorative pose -hardly ever seen outside the pages of the more expensive -fashion magazines. At the other end of the -couch, her knees drawn up and her feet tucked under -her, sat Gaby (Gabrielle Odette Francine Du-Champs -Goulet), looking about her expectantly, her -head cocked to one side like a toy French poodle’s.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_81">81</div> -<p>Maggie Delahanty, the dancer, sat cross-legged on -the floor like a Hindu, her back straight and her -hands loosely folded, a magazine open on her knees. -She could sit for hours like this in apparent perfect -comfort, in a position the other girls found almost -impossible to get into at all.</p> -<p>In more conventional positions, seated on chairs, -were Greta, Amy, and Peggy.</p> -<p>“I guess everybody’s here now,” Peggy said, “so I -might as well tell you why I asked you all to meet -in here. I need your help, but I didn’t want to explain -it several times, because it’s rather a complicated -story.”</p> -<p>As briefly as she could, Peggy told them about -Paula, as Paula had told her. Then she recounted -the events of the night before, ending with the doctor’s -visit.</p> -<p>“When he told me that she had fainted from hunger,” -Peggy concluded, “I was so shocked I didn’t -know what to say. I’m still not sure I understand how -it came to happen, but I am sure of one thing. Paula -needs help, and I told her that I would see to it that -she gets it.”</p> -<p>“She needs some common sense even more than -she needs help,” Maggie said tartly. “Unfortunately, -I don’t think we have any of that to spare. Why did -she let this go on so long without doing something -about it?”</p> -<p>“Yes, why?” Irene asked. “I know a lot of people -who are out of work, but they don’t let themselves -starve. I’ve been out of work myself plenty of times, -the way every beginner in show business is, and I’ve -always gone straight to the unemployment people. -The government check hasn’t been much, but it’s -been enough to eat on.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_82">82</div> -<p>“I asked her that,” Peggy said, “and she told me -that she didn’t qualify for unemployment insurance. -Apparently you have to have worked for a certain -length of time before you can collect any insurance, -and she hadn’t worked that long when the department -store laid her off after the Christmas rush.”</p> -<p>“That’s true,” Greta said. “I was in a fix like that -myself once, and I had to ask my parents for help until -I could get a job. Luckily, I have parents and -they have enough to be able to spare some for me.”</p> -<p>“Most of us have someone to turn to,” Peggy said, -“but Paula’s an orphan, and hasn’t even got any -aunts or uncles or cousins. But she does have -friends, and that’s what I want to talk to you about.”</p> -<p>“Oh, we all of us ’ave understand that alreadee,” -Gaby said with a toss of her head. “That part of the -problem is no more worree. I give a few dollar each -week—we all give a few dollar—nobodee give -enough for to miss it, an’ presto! Mademoiselle Paula -’as plentee to live on. No?”</p> -<p>“That’s just what I had in mind,” Peggy said, relieved -not to have had to actually ask for the money. -She had been hoping her friends would offer it as -their own idea. “How do the rest of you feel about it?”</p> -<p>Everybody nodded agreement and murmured assurance -that they would do as much as they could -to help. “How much does she need?” asked Maggie, -practical as always.</p> -<p>“I think about fifty dollars a week would do it,” -Peggy answered, “but it doesn’t all have to come -from us. There are several members of the cast who -are working at other jobs and who would be glad to -contribute. In fact, I think they’d be insulted if they -weren’t approached about it.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_83">83</div> -<p>“Won’t Paula object to their knowing all about her -troubles?” Amy asked.</p> -<p>“I don’t think so,” Peggy said. “Besides, they all -saw her faint last night, and some explanation will -have to be given. Not only that, but I don’t think we -should try to hide it as if it were some disgraceful -thing not to have enough money for food. Paula has -been hiding her troubles too long, and she’s going to -have to accept the fact that you can’t hide trouble -and fight it at the same time.”</p> -<p>“Very wise, Peggy,” May Berriman approved. “I -agree, just as I agree with Maggie that your friend -needs some common sense more than she needs help. -It’s possible that by helping her in this open way, you -may also provide her with a little common sense!”</p> -<p>“Speaking of common sense,” Greta put in, “I -think it’s about time we got down to dollars and cents -in this discussion, instead of just going on vaguely -about wanting to help. Does anyone have a suggestion -about how much we should all contribute to the -Paula Fund?”</p> -<p>After mentioning several figures, and after some -discussion about how much should come from the -Gramercy Arms and how much from the cast, an -agreement was reached.</p> -<p>“So it’s settled,” Peggy said. “Gramercy Arms will -give twenty-five dollars a week, and the cast will -give the rest. Now, twenty-five dollars divided -among the six of us girls....”</p> -<p>“Seven,” May Berriman interrupted. “I may not -be a girl any longer, but you’ll grant I am a part of -Gramercy Arms.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_84">84</div> -<p>“Thanks, May,” Peggy said gratefully. “Well, -seven then. That comes to ... let’s see. Three-fifty -each a week would add up to twenty-four dollars -and fifty cents. That’s close enough, I guess, and we -can all surely spare that. It’s only fifty cents a day.”</p> -<p>“I have another suggestion, Peggy,” May Berriman -said. “As you all know, Dot is on tour and isn’t -due to return for another three months. I’m sure she -wouldn’t mind if Paula were to use her room. Why -don’t you ask her to come in here with us and give -up that expensive apartment?”</p> -<p>Peggy reflected for a minute. “No, I don’t think -so,” she said at length. “If she had been willing to -move out of that apartment, she would have done -it before this. I don’t think she’d be at all happy here. -She’s so—well, so secretive, and I think that all she -wants is to be left alone. I suppose that sounds pretty -strange, and pretty self-indulgent, too, but as I told -you, I think she’s having some kind of trouble that -we don’t even know about, and she obviously doesn’t -want us to know. I don’t think it would be helping -at all if we tried to get her to come to live with us.”</p> -<p>“Maybe you’re right,” May Berriman said. “One -sure way to be of no help at all is to try to change a -person’s way of living. At any rate, you can tell her -that the room is here for her to use in case she wants -to.”</p> -<p>“I will,” Peggy said. “And I’d like nothing better -than to have her say yes, but I just know she won’t.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_85">85</div> -<p>Maggie stood up, uncoiling from her cross-legged -position in a single, fluid movement. “I guess it’s all -settled, then,” she said. “The only thing for us to do -now is to get up the money.” Digging into the pocket -of her blue jeans, she produced a small wallet from -which she extracted three crumpled dollar bills and -two quarters. “Here’s my first week’s dues in the -Help Paula Club,” she said.</p> -<p>The rest of the girls hurried up to their rooms to -find money and, five minutes later, after a confused -session of change-making, Peggy had twenty-five -dollars (May Berriman had insisted on giving an -extra fifty cents to make the sum come out even) -carefully sealed in an envelope.</p> -<p>Thanking their housemates, Peggy, Amy, and -Greta excused themselves. They had barely enough -time for a quick dinner before reporting to rehearsal.</p> -<p>“We’ve got good friends,” Peggy said as they -seated themselves in a booth in a nearby restaurant -where they often went. “It certainly was generous of -them to contribute to a girl they don’t even know.”</p> -<p>“That’s one of the nicest things about show business,” -Greta said. “I guess it’s because everyone in -the business has been out of work and in hard circumstances -at one time or another. They’re always -willing to help another actor who’s having a hard -time. Maybe it’s a kind of insurance policy against -the next time they’re in trouble themselves.”</p> -<p>“It ought to be even easier to collect the other half -of the money from the cast,” Amy commented. “And -once we have that, Paula will be all right.”</p> -<p>“In a sense, she will be,” Peggy said with a worried -expression. “At least she’ll be all right financially. -But I don’t think we’ve begun to settle her problems, -and I don’t know if we should even try.”</p> -<p>“What do you mean?” Amy asked. “What other -problems does she have, and why shouldn’t we try -to solve them?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_86">86</div> -<p>“I don’t know,” Peggy said uneasily.</p> -<p>“What makes you think something else is wrong?” -Greta asked.</p> -<p>“I know something else is wrong,” Peggy said -firmly. “It’s not just guesswork. The question is -whether or not we have a right to poke our noses -into Paula’s business.”</p> -<p>“Stop hinting, Peggy,” Amy said with unaccustomed -sharpness. “Why don’t you just tell us what -your suspicions are, and we can all contribute our -thinking.”</p> -<p>“I suppose that’s best,” Peggy said sadly. “I just -hate to tell you that I think Paula still hasn’t told us -the truth about herself and the reason she had to go -hungry. I saw things when I was at her apartment -that convinced me of that. But I don’t know why.”</p> -<p>“You think she’s lying?” Greta asked. “Why?”</p> -<p>“To begin with,” Peggy said, determined to have -the whole thing out in the open, “she’s lying about -ever having worked in a department store, and about -being a poor orphan. I know because of the clothes -I saw in her closet and her bureau when I was getting -her pajamas and robe for her.”</p> -<p>“How can clothes tell you she never worked in a -department store?” Amy asked, puzzled.</p> -<p>“Shoes,” Peggy said. “Didn’t you ever notice salesgirls’ -shoes? Standing behind a counter all day long -is pretty hard on the feet, and your shoes have to -be practical and comfortable. Paula had a large collection -of shoes in that closet—all of them very smart -and fashionable and expensive—but not one pair that -a girl could stand in all day long, except for the -sport shoes that a department store wouldn’t allow -its clerks to wear. You know, moccasins and things -like that.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_87">87</div> -<p>“It makes sense,” Greta said grudgingly, “in a way. -But maybe she had work shoes and they wore out -and she threw them away.”</p> -<p>“Maybe,” Peggy said, “but that doesn’t account -for the kind of shoes she did have. For instance, there -were high riding boots and low jodhpur boots in -that closet. Now, I have a horse at home in Wisconsin, -and I know something about riding equipment, -and those boots were handmade and must have cost -a fortune. Where would an orphan salesgirl get boots -like that? And why would she want them in the city? -Not only that, but there were ski boots and golf shoes, -too, and I have the same questions about those. I -suppose it all sounds very nosy and suspicious of me, -but I couldn’t help thinking about it and what it -means.”</p> -<p>“What it means,” Greta said, “is that you’re probably -right. From what you say, I’m sure that Paula -wasn’t telling the truth about herself. But what can -we do about it, and why should we try to do anything? -It’s really none of our business, is it?”</p> -<p>“That’s just the problem that’s been worrying -me,” Peggy confessed. “I keep asking myself whether -it’s any of our business who Paula is and what she’s -hiding. I think I’ve finally decided that it is.”</p> -<p>“In what way?” Amy asked. “Just because we’ve -agreed to help her with a little money doesn’t mean -we own any part of her, does it? I think we ought to -leave her alone!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_88">88</div> -<p>“Oh, Amy, you can’t think I meant it like that!” -Peggy said. “Of course the loan doesn’t give us any -right to go poking into her affairs! But the fact that -we’re her friends does give us a right. We didn’t get -curious about her health, for fear of offending her, -and as a result she collapsed from hunger. Now if -she’s in some other kind of trouble, and we don’t do -something to help, we may regret that just as much.”</p> -<p>“That does make sense,” Amy admitted. “It’s just -that I hate to go behind her back....”</p> -<p>“Why go behind her back?” Greta asked. “Why -not just come right out and ask her what’s wrong? -Even mention the shoes and boots and things, so -that she’ll know why we’re suspicious of what she -told you.”</p> -<p>“She won’t admit anything’s wrong,” Peggy said. -“I tried to ask her at lunch when I went out with her -today, but she wouldn’t even talk to me about it. -Every time I seemed to be coming close to whatever’s -bothering her, she just changed the subject.”</p> -<p>“Well, then, what do you think we-all can do -about it?” Amy asked. “If she doesn’t want to tell us -her troubles, there’s no way that we can force her to -do it. I still think we ought to leave her alone.”</p> -<p>Peggy shook her head in vigorous disagreement. -“That’s just what we shouldn’t do,” she said. “It -seems to me she’s been left alone too much, and -hasn’t been able to do a good job of taking care of -herself.”</p> -<p>“But you said that she doesn’t respond to pushing—or -direct questions,” Greta commented.</p> -<p>“And we certainly don’t want to—to snoop!” Amy -put in.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_89">89</div> -<p>“I know,” Peggy agreed. “But there is one thing -we can do. We can make every effort to show her -that we’re her friends, and to show her that she -can trust us. If we do it sincerely, without pushing or -snooping, I’m sure she’ll confide in us when she wants -to.”</p> -<p>“It seems to me that we’ve all made a pretty big -effort already,” Greta said tartly. “What more can -we do?”</p> -<p>“Well,” Peggy said thoughtfully, “if I were Paula, -I might be inclined to think that the effort made so -far was more charitable than friendly, if the difference -is clear. I mean, we’ve helped her with money -and all that ... but that’s not exactly what I mean. -I think we ought to do something to show her that -we’re glad to know her, and glad that she’s in the -show, and ... I don’t know. It’s just that I feel that -money alone doesn’t say what needs saying to a girl -like Paula. She’s a sensitive person, after all, and she -might even resent the financial help, in some subtle -way.”</p> -<p>“You may be right, at that,” Amy said softly. “I -know that if I were ever in her position ... having -to take money from people ... I’d feel pretty uncomfortable -about it. Especially if the people were -just—well—just casual acquaintances. And after all, -that’s what we are to her.”</p> -<p>“That’s just the point,” Peggy said eagerly. “You’ve -put it perfectly! We <i>are</i> just casual acquaintances—not -close friends. It’s no wonder that she keeps a -kind of wall between her and us, even though we are -helping her.”</p> -<p>“Rather <i>because</i> we’re helping her,” Greta -amended. “Everybody knows it’s a lot harder to -take help than to give it.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_90">90</div> -<p>“But what can we do to show her that she’s not -just a—a charity case to us?” Amy asked.</p> -<p>“That’s what I’ve been asking myself,” Peggy said, -“and I think I’ve got one good idea anyhow. It’s not -much, but it’s a beginning. Why don’t we give her a -little surprise party tonight after rehearsal, to celebrate -her coming back to the show and being all -right again?”</p> -<p>“I think she’d like that!” Amy exclaimed. “What -do you think, Greta?”</p> -<p>“I think it’s fine,” Greta agreed. “Tonight’s rehearsal -is bound to be a strain for her anyhow, and it -would be nice to give her a chance to relax and cheer -up afterward. How do you want to work it, Peggy?”</p> -<p>Peggy thought for a moment before answering. -“We might ask her up to the Gramercy Arms after -rehearsal,” she suggested. “I’m sure that Gaby and -Irene and Maggie would be glad to set up a party -for us while we’re gone, and everything could be -ready by the time we got back....”</p> -<p>“No,” Amy interrupted. “That won’t do. The minute -we invited her up to the Gramercy Arms, she’d -know there was something special up, and the surprise -would be lost. Besides, she’d have to meet the -other girls, and there would be the usual strain of -new people....”</p> -<p>“Not only that,” Greta added, “but there’s no guarantee -that she would come back with us after rehearsal. -She might be too tired and want to go straight -home. And she’s shy about new places and people, -anyway.”</p> -<p>“How about at the theater?” Amy suggested.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_91">91</div> -<p>But Peggy and Greta vetoed that suggestion on -the ground that it would have to include the whole -cast, and that would make too large a party to enable -them to accomplish their primary purpose, which -was to develop a more intimate relationship with -Paula.</p> -<p>“I know!” Peggy exclaimed. “Why don’t we have -the party right in her own apartment? That way, -we’ll be sure that she’ll be there, and we can control -the number of people! In fact, I think we ought to -keep it to just the three of us and Paula! Amy and I -can miss rehearsal tonight—you can tell her some -thing at the Academy kept us late, and you can -come home from rehearsal with Paula. While you -and Paula are at the theater, Amy and I can shop -and set up a real surprise party!”</p> -<p>“Fine!” Greta agreed. “But how are you going to -get into Paula’s apartment without a key?”</p> -<p>“The superintendent will let us in, I’m sure,” -Peggy replied. “He saw us when Mal and I brought -Paula home last night, and he saw me again when -I was there to pick her up for lunch this afternoon, -so he knows that I’m a friend of hers. If we explain -about the surprise party, I know he’ll let us in, and -not mention it if he sees you and Paula coming home. -He seemed like a very nice man, and he was genuinely -concerned about Paula. I know he’ll approve of -the idea of a party.”</p> -<p>“That sounds like a good plan,” Greta agreed. -“While you’re setting up the party, and while Paula’s -busy rehearsing, I’m sure that I can manage to raise -the money from the cast. I’ll bring it with me, and -we can give it to her along with the Gramercy Arms -money at the same time.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_92">92</div> -<p>“We can buy a cake and birthday candles too,” -Amy suggested, “and as soon as you come, you can -tell me how many of the cast members chipped in, -and we can put a candle on the cake for every friend -Paula has. It will really be something to celebrate!”</p> -<p>“Good,” Greta said, nodding her agreement. “Well, -we’d better get going now. We’re on a tight time -schedule. I have to report at the theater for rehearsal -in fifteen minutes, and you have to start your shopping -for the party. Mal will probably take it easy on -Paula after last night, so you had better be prepared -to have us come in on you early. Be sure that you -have all the party things set up by ten o’clock.”</p> -<p>Picking up their check, the three girls rose to go, -looking forward with high spirits to the challenge of -breaking down Paula’s wall of reserve and of showing -her that there is such a thing as real friendship in -what must have appeared to her to be a hard, cold -world.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_93">93</div> -<h2 id="c10"><span class="h2line1">X</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Two for the Show....</span></h2> -<p>“If they expect to be at Paula’s by ten,” Peggy said -as she and Amy left the restaurant, “we’d better -hurry. We have a lot of shopping to do, and food to -prepare. And I’d like to decorate Paula’s apartment -in some way, too. It’s a nice enough place, but I -couldn’t help noticing how cold and unlived-in it -looks. Maybe we can find some way to make it cheerful, -even if it’s just for an evening.”</p> -<p>“If we hurry, we can do that part of the shopping -before the stores on Twenty-third Street close,” Amy -said. “I remember seeing a sort of party shop there -that sells things like crepe paper and candles and -silly decorations and things. I think they’re open till -seven or seven-thirty.”</p> -<p>“I remember the place,” Peggy said. “If we go -there first, we can put off the food shopping until -later. The bakeries and the delicatessens always stay -open till late.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_94">94</div> -<p>The girls hurried uptown the few blocks to -Twenty-third Street, where they found the proprietor -of the little party shop getting ready to close for the -night. With a resigned sigh, he agreed to stay open -a few minutes more in order to let the two friends -buy the few things they needed for their surprise -party. Trying to make their decisions in a hurry, so -as not to further exasperate the shopkeeper, they -quickly settled on some paper napkins with a festive -rosebud design, and some sugar rosebud-shaped -candle-holders for the cake. Peggy also bought some -pink crepe-paper sheets and strips.</p> -<p>“I think I can make these into some nice paper -roses—if I remember how they taught us to do it in -kindergarten,” she said. “That ought to brighten the -place up!”</p> -<p>Amy found some white paper plates with rosebuds -to match the napkins, but as the girls started to search -for more things to make the party, the owner of the -shop began to turn off the lights, throw dust-covers -over fixtures, and generally make it clear that his patience -was at an end.</p> -<p>“I guess that’s really all we’ll need, Amy,” Peggy -said nervously. “I think that we’d better get going.”</p> -<p>Thanking the shopkeeper for staying open for -them, they paid for their purchases and left. The -owner left with them, turned the lock in the door, -and with a curt nod briskly strode down the street.</p> -<p>“Gee, we just made it,” Peggy said with a grin. “If -we had taken ten seconds more, I think he would -have locked us in the store for the night!”</p> -<p>Farther down the street, a delicatessen store shed -a bright glow on the nearly deserted sidewalk. -Peggy and Amy made their way to it as if it were a -beacon marking the way to a friendly port.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_95">95</div> -<p>Nothing in the world is more delightfully confusing -than an old-fashioned delicatessen in New York. -There is a special quality to the very smell of the -place; it is a compound of every good thing to eat, -and so complex a perfume that it is almost impossible -to isolate the elements that make it up. One <i>can</i> detect -clearly the briny smell of pickles, and on second -sniff, the rich harmonies of imported cheeses, but -beyond that, it would take the most sensitive nose in -the world to analyze the atmosphere. And as you -walk through the store from front to back, the odor -changes, becomes alternately richer, lighter, sharper, -sweeter, spicier or more pungent.</p> -<p>The store was so narrow, and the man behind the -counter so wide, that Peggy had to suppress a little -giggle, wondering how on earth he managed to -squeeze himself in. With a broad grin and a welcoming -gesture that threatened to sweep the counter -clean of its load of little jars, boxes, and tins, he said, -“Good evening, ladies! What can I do for you?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know.” Peggy smiled. “You’ve got so much -here that I scarcely know where to begin.”</p> -<p>“Tell me your problem,” the man said in a confidential, -professional manner. “We specialize in catering -for all kinds of events. Just tell me what you have -in mind, and let me do the selecting.”</p> -<p>“It’s not really an event,” Amy began. “We’re just -planning a little surprise party for a friend, and there -are only going to be four of us....”</p> -<p>“And you say it’s not an event!” the delicatessen -owner said reproachfully. “When you buy here, -every meal is an event! Just tell me how much you -want to spend, and I’ll make you a menu for a party -you’ll never forget!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_96">96</div> -<p>His enthusiasm flagged a little when Peggy hesitantly -told him that they hadn’t figured on spending -more than five dollars, but he made a fast recovery.</p> -<p>“Even for <i>four</i> dollars,” he said, “I could make -you a party for the gods!”</p> -<p>Seemingly from nowhere, he produced a beautifully -roasted turkey with a few slices already removed. -Skillfully, he cut several long, thin slices of -white meat. Swiss cheese followed, and after that, -moist, lean slices of pink ham. Moving deftly and -surely from counter to bin to shelf to refrigerator to -cabinet, the owner piled up containers of potato -salad, cole slaw, bottles of soft drinks, a sliced loaf -of rye bread with caraway seeds and a small jar of -mustard.</p> -<p>“There!” he said. “That’s an event!”</p> -<p>“How much is it?” Peggy asked, looking fearfully -at what seemed to her to be a mountain of food.</p> -<p>“I was aiming for five dollars,” the owner said, “as -specified. However, let me do the addition and -see....” He rapidly penciled figures on a brown paper -bag and added them in a flash. When he looked -up, it was with a crestfallen expression.</p> -<p>“The first time in years I went over the budget,” -he said mournfully. “Usually I can pick things out -right to the penny. Ah, well....” He sighed. “To err -is human. Even for a delicatessen owner.”</p> -<p>“How much is it?” Peggy asked again.</p> -<p>“Five dollars and thirteen cents,” came the sorrowful -answer. “But for you, and because we had a bargain, -four dollars and ninety-nine cents!”</p> -<p>“Oh, no!” Peggy said. “We’ll be glad to pay it -all! It’s such a little——”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_97">97</div> -<p>“Not in my delicatessen!” the owner said, drawing -himself up proudly. “To Schwartz, a contract is a -contract! Four ninety-nine, and not a penny more!”</p> -<p>Not knowing if Mr. Schwartz was serious or joking, -Peggy decided not to take the chance of hurting his -feelings. She gave him a five-dollar bill, and dutifully -accepted the penny change.</p> -<p>By the time the girls had picked up their packages, -Mr. Schwartz had recovered his normal high -spirits. He hastened to the door to open it for them, -gave them the full benefit of his smile and said, “Remember—make -every meal an event! That’s philosophy! -Good night and come again!”</p> -<p>The next stop, a small Viennese bakery a few doors -west, proved uneventful except for finding the perfect -cake for the occasion. It was a small layer cake -covered with snowy white icing and a decorative -trim of pink sugar rosebuds around the edge. It made -the ideal match for the napkins and the crepe paper -they had bought.</p> -<p>Loaded down with their purchases, they took a bus -uptown to Paula’s street, and by eight o’clock they -found themselves standing before the green lacquered -street door of her apartment house.</p> -<p>“I certainly hope that the superintendent’s in tonight,” -Peggy said as she pushed the buzzer. “It -would be awful to have bought all this good food, -and then have him be out!”</p> -<p>“We could always camp here on the doorstep -and wait for Paula and Greta to come home,” Amy -said. “But, frankly, the idea of a two-hour wait in -the night air isn’t exactly guaranteed to put me in a -party mood!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_98">98</div> -<p>Their fears were groundless, however. The superintendent, -a polite old man, answered the door after -only a few minutes’ delay. He greeted Peggy with a -smile of recognition and apologized for keeping -them waiting.</p> -<p>Peggy explained the purpose of their visit, and the -old man’s eyes lighted up with pleasure when he -heard of the surprise party. “I sure am glad to see -Miss Andrews making some friends,” he said. -“She’s such a nice young lady, and my wife and I -often worry about her, sitting up there all day alone. -It doesn’t seem natural for such a fine girl to have to -be by herself so much. I think a thing like this’ll do -her a world of good!”</p> -<p>Upstairs, the superintendent let them into Paula’s -apartment with his master passkey. “If I see them -coming in,” he said with a conspiratorial smile, “I -won’t let on a thing. I don’t know of anything worse -than a surprise party where there’s no surprise to it!”</p> -<p>The girls thanked him, and a moment later found -themselves alone in Paula’s little apartment.</p> -<p>It had been straightened up since Peggy’s last -visit at lunchtime, and the few clothes and other objects -that had been visible had all been put neatly -out of sight. This made the room look even more -barren and impersonal than Peggy had remembered -it—as polite and impersonal as Paula’s manner whenever -Peggy had tried to break the wall of mystery -that surrounded her new friend.</p> -<p>Amy looked around her with a sigh. “It’s about as -homey as a hotel room, isn’t it?” she said. “I hope -that we brought enough crepe paper to brighten it -up a little!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_99">99</div> -<p>“It’s going to take more than crepe paper,” Peggy -said sadly. “It’s going to take some real show of -friendship. She must be a really lonely girl for even -the superintendent and his wife to have noticed it -and to be concerned about it. I hope that this little -party of ours is some help.”</p> -<p>“It’s bound to be,” Amy said. “It will certainly -take the curse off the business of just handing her -money. That could be downright awkward, you -know, even though she has agreed to accept it.”</p> -<p>“I hope you’re right,” Peggy said. “I’m sure that -if there ever was a girl who needed friends to tell -things to—and who had things to tell them—it’s -Paula Andrews!”</p> -<p>They unloaded their purchases in the little kitchenette, -and while Amy was unwrapping the sliced -meat and cheese, Peggy busied herself with setting -up the gate-leg table that stood folded against the -wall. Going back to the kitchenette, she rummaged -about in the bag that held the napkins, candles, and -crepe paper.</p> -<p>“Oh dear!” she exclaimed. “I knew we forgot something! -We didn’t buy a paper tablecloth!”</p> -<p>“Oh, Paula must have a plain white tablecloth here -that we can use,” Amy said.</p> -<p>“I’ll take a look,” Peggy said. “I hate to see a bare -table, unless there are place mats, and we don’t even -have enough napkins to use as mats. Where do you -suppose she’d keep her tablecloths?”</p> -<p>Looking around the room, Amy pointed to a low -chest with three shallow drawers that stood near the -kitchenette door. “If I had any cloths I’d keep them -in there,” she said.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_100">100</div> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/p6.jpg" alt="In Paula’s room" width="500" height="660" /> -</div> -<p>Peggy opened the top drawer. “No tablecloths,” -she said, “but we’re on the right track. There are bed -linens and some towels in here.” She went to the second -drawer. There were no linens here, but simply a -large, flat, leather box of highly polished calfskin. It -took up most of the drawer. Peggy was about to shut -the drawer when something caught her attention. -She gave a low whistle.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_101">101</div> -<p>“Amy, come here,” she said.</p> -<p>“Tablecloths?” Amy said.</p> -<p>“Look.” Peggy pointed to a small silver plate fixed -to the lower right-hand corner of the leather box. It -was engraved: “<i>For Paula’s first part—and her future -career. With love from Mother and Dad.</i>”</p> -<p>“I guess you were right, Peggy,” Amy said. “About -the shoes, and Paula not being a salesgirl, and not -being poor....”</p> -<p>“And not being an orphan, either,” Peggy added.</p> -<p>“Well ... this certainly shows that she wasn’t -raised as an orphan,” Amy said, “but this could have -been given to her before—before she became an orphan, -couldn’t it?”</p> -<p>“No,” Peggy said flatly. “For one thing, this is -pretty new. And, besides, even if Paula’s parents -did ... die ... after giving her this, the rest of -her story couldn’t possibly be true. People who can -give gifts like this don’t leave a daughter penniless.”</p> -<p>“I suppose not,” Amy admitted. “But, in that case, -what do you think the real story is?”</p> -<p>“It seems pretty clear that Paula has run away -from home for some reason of her own,” Peggy answered. -“Her parents certainly don’t know where -she is, or what kind of circumstances she’s in, or they -surely would have done something to help her. -They’re obviously not the sort of people to hold back -on giving things to their daughter. And this inscription -tells us that they didn’t try to keep her from -pursuing a career as an actress. In fact, unless I miss -my guess, this is a professional make-up kit.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_102">102</div> -<p>A quick glance inside confirmed Peggy’s guess. It -was a theatrical make-up box, beautifully fitted with -tiny jars of creams and colors, each with a silver lid -engraved with Paula’s initials. There were special -compartments for brushes, pencils, and cotton pads.</p> -<p>“Well, you certainly seem to be right,” Amy admitted, -“but now that we know about it, what do -you think we should do? Should we do anything? -Isn’t it Paula’s business if she chooses to leave home?”</p> -<p>“It’s certainly her business if she chooses to <i>live</i> -away from home,” Peggy said firmly, “but running -away and hiding is something else again. Her parents -are probably worried sick about her! I don’t -think we can afford to wait for Paula to warm up to -us on the chance that she’ll tell us about it. I think -she’s acting thoughtlessly and unreasonably, and -much as I like her, that doesn’t change my opinion of -what she’s doing. We have to stop it, or at least look -into it to find out who Paula’s parents are and why -she left home. Unless she has a darn good reason -for not letting them know where she is, we’ll have to -tell them. It’s the only decent thing to do!”</p> -<p>“If we do,” Amy said, “they might take her out of -the play.”</p> -<p>“They might,” Peggy agreed, “but people are more -important than plays. And anyway, I don’t think -they would. They’re obviously people who are in -sympathy with Paula’s wanting to be an actress.”</p> -<p>“That seems like a good guess,” Amy said with a -smile, glancing at the extravagant make-up kit. “But -how do we find out who they are? And once we find -out, do we just call them? Shouldn’t we give Paula a -chance first?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_103">103</div> -<p>“We certainly should,” Peggy said. “All I want to -do is find out who her parents are, and tell her we -know. Then we’ll give her the choice of calling them, -or having us do it. This is not just a question of sticking -my nose into someone else’s business; it’s a question -of doing what’s right.”</p> -<p>“You still haven’t told me how you expect to find -out who her parents are,” Amy said.</p> -<p>“Maybe if I look around, I’ll find something with -an address on it. Maybe a letter or something—”</p> -<p>“But—” Amy objected.</p> -<p>“I know,” Peggy interrupted, “but it has to be -done. Why don’t you get the table set up as best you -can, and I’ll look around a little.” She glanced at her -watch. “We haven’t too much time, you know. They -ought to be here in about an hour.”</p> -<p>“What about the crepe-paper roses?” Amy asked. -“I don’t know how to make them!”</p> -<p>“I’m in no mood to make roses,” Peggy answered -sadly and a little grimly. “Use the crepe paper for a -tablecloth. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”</p> -<p>As she started looking through Paula’s bureau, -Peggy reflected that it was strange how a person -could do something completely against her nature -and as unpleasant as searching a friend’s room, when -a matter of conscience and principle was involved. -It was not always easy to do the right thing.</p> -<p>Conquering her qualms with the assurance that -she was acting in the best interests of both Paula -and her parents, Peggy went carefully about her -search.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_104">104</div> -<p>It took her nearly twenty minutes to go through -the bureau and closet in a thorough manner. She -carefully took down each dress and coat, looked at -the labels and went through the pockets. She examined -the many shoes and boots, as well as the sports -equipment neatly stored on the shelves and the luggage -on the floor in back. She put each thing back -exactly as she had found it. When she closed the -door behind her, she knew that she had found something, -but not as yet what she had been looking for.</p> -<p>“What did you learn?” asked Amy, who was putting -the finishing touches on the table setting.</p> -<p>“I didn’t learn Paula’s home address,” Peggy said, -“which is what I was hoping to find, but I did learn a -few other things. For one thing, Paula does come -from California, as she said. The store labels are all -from Los Angeles shops. And for another thing, I -learned that her name is really Paula Andrews and -her parents do have an awful lot of money.”</p> -<p>“How did the clothes tell you that?” Amy asked, -puzzled.</p> -<p>“Well, some of the clothes are custom-made, and -they all have labels that read, ‘Designed for Paula -Andrews by Helen de Mayne.’”</p> -<p>“Whew!” Amy whistled. “Isn’t Helen de Mayne -that famous Hollywood designer who does costumes -for the stars?”</p> -<p>“Right,” Peggy said. “And that’s all I’ve learned -from the clothing.”</p> -<p>“I wonder if we need to know any more,” Amy -said thoughtfully. “If we want to find out anything -now, can’t we just check with Helen de Mayne? She -could certainly tell us who Paula’s parents are, if she -designs Paula’s clothes.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_105">105</div> -<p>“I thought of that,” Peggy said, “but I’d rather not -unless we have no other way. I don’t want to stir up -anything, and if we start asking questions about -Paula, we’re going to have to give some answers -about why we’re asking. I would want to know what -the situation is before I started to do anything like -that.”</p> -<p>“I guess that makes sense,” Amy said, “but where -are you going to look next for more answers?”</p> -<p>Peggy glanced despairingly about the barren, impersonal -room. It didn’t seem possible that it had any -more information to yield, and she was already exhausted -with the psychological strain of searching. -She sat down on the daybed with a sigh of resignation.</p> -<p>“There is no place else to look,” she said. “There -isn’t even a rug to hide anything under. Besides, I -don’t think that Paula’s actually hiding anything. If -she were, she wouldn’t have left that make-up kit -around, and all those dresses with the special Helen -de Mayne labels.”</p> -<p>“Why don’t we look in a Los Angeles phone book?” -Amy suggested.</p> -<p>“Doesn’t make sense,” Peggy replied. “Paula probably -didn’t have a phone listed under her own name -anyway. And even if she did, we don’t know where -she lived. It doesn’t have to be Los Angeles, just because -she had her clothes made there. You’d have to -get a hundred California phone books and then start -to trace every Andrews listed. And even then you -might never learn anything, because wealthy people -often have phone numbers that aren’t listed in the -directory.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_106">106</div> -<p>After a few more ideas were considered and rejected, -Peggy said, “I’m afraid the only thing we -can do now is confront Paula with what we know, -and see if we can’t persuade her to tell us the rest, -and to call her parents and let them know where -she is.”</p> -<p>It was now nine-thirty, and they had done all they -could do. It would be at least another half-hour before -Greta brought Paula home for her surprise party. -Time dragged slowly, with neither Amy nor Peggy -able to find even the shadow of an idea of what to -say or do.</p> -<p>Amy went back to the table to fuss with the arrangement -of turkey, ham and cheese and to nervously -try artistic little experiments with the potato -salad.</p> -<p>Idly, Peggy looked over the small shelf of books to -see if there was something that would help her pass -the time until the party—a party that she now no -longer looked forward to in the least. She selected -a well-worn, leather-bound volume of the <i>Complete -Plays of Shakespeare</i>, hoping that the old, familiar -comic world of <i>Twelfth Night</i> would take her mind -away from Paula’s problems.</p> -<p>She leaned back and opened the book, then sat -bolt upright.</p> -<p>“This is it!” she almost shouted. “Amy! Here’s exactly -what we’ve been looking for!”</p> -<p>“Shakespeare?” puzzled Amy.</p> -<p>“Paula’s address!” Peggy said. “Now we have -something to go on—we have a way to find out who -Paula’s parents are!” She thrust the book at Amy. -“Here—look inside the front cover.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_107">107</div> -<p>In the round, neat, somewhat childish handwriting -of a girl of perhaps eleven was written:</p> -<p class="center"><i>Paula Andrews</i> -<br /><i>“Eagletop”</i> -<br /><i>Canyon Road</i> -<br /><i>Beverly Hills</i> -<br /><i>Los Angeles</i> -<br /><i>California</i> -<br /><i>The United States</i> -<br /><i>The Western Hemisphere</i> -<br /><i>Earth</i> -<br /><i>The Solar System</i> -<br /><i>The Universe</i></p> -<p>“And that’s that,” said Peggy triumphantly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_108">108</div> -<h2 id="c11"><span class="h2line1">XI</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Three to Make Ready....</span></h2> -<p>There was still the party to be gotten through, and -Peggy was so bothered by a sense of guilt at having -ransacked Paula’s room that she was in no mood -at all for the coming festivities.</p> -<p>It was nearly ten o’clock, and Peggy and Amy -had barely enough time to put away the copy of -Shakespeare, give a few last-minute finishing touches -to the table setting, and tune in some music on the -little bedside radio, when Paula and Greta arrived. -On seeing her friends and the festive spread, Paula -almost burst into tears, but instead, she caught hold -of herself and started to laugh.</p> -<p>Peggy felt pleased, knowing that their gesture of -friendship had touched a responsive chord in Paula’s -reserve. At the same time, the pang of guilt quickened; -she felt that she had betrayed the very friendship -and trust she had been trying to cultivate.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_109">109</div> -<p>Greta whispered to Peggy that seven members of -the cast had contributed to the Paula Fund, exactly -matching the amount given by the girls at the -Gramercy Arms, and Peggy went swiftly to the kitchenette -to place fourteen candles on top of the rosebud -cake. While Greta and Amy kept Paula occupied, -Peggy lit the candles and brought the cake to -the table.</p> -<p>“We’re celebrating the fact that people are nice to -people,” she explained, “if you only give them the -chance. And that’s all the sermon that I intend to -deliver this evening. We’re also celebrating the fact -that you’re going to be able to eat this cake, and a lot -more things besides beans and spaghetti from now -on, Paula.”</p> -<p>But after this speech, which she felt was stuffy and -sadly inadequate, Peggy couldn’t think of another -thing to say. She was far too concerned with the -night’s revelations about Paula, and about what -they could possibly mean. Amy did much better in -keeping up her end of the conversation, and Greta, -of course, knowing nothing of what had happened, -acted with perfect ease. In any case, Peggy thought, -Paula was too excited and pleased with her party to -notice how anyone was acting.</p> -<p>Not being the least bit hungry, Peggy forced herself -to eat some of the cold cuts and cake, and to -take a glass of milk. She could not help feeling like -an awful hypocrite, sitting there and pretending to -be a wholehearted friend to Paula, after she had -just finished spying on her. Even if it had been—as -it had—for her own good and the good of her obviously -generous parents.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_110">110</div> -<p>Fortunately for Peggy, the party did not last too -long. Paula was tired from the night’s rehearsal -which, even though short, had tried her strength. By -eleven o’clock she began to yawn unobtrusively, and -seemed relieved when her three friends said their -farewells.</p> -<p>“Thank you,” she said warmly and with moist -eyes, “for the lovely surprise party and—and everything -else. And for being such good friends! I haven’t -done anything to deserve such—”</p> -<p>“Nonsense!” Peggy interrupted firmly, cutting off -any further thanks, and waving good-by as the elevator -door slid shut. The girls rode down in silence, -Peggy and Amy depressed, Greta looking at them -curiously.</p> -<p>“All right,” Greta said when they reached the cool -and empty street. “I could tell from the minute we -came in that something was wrong. What is it?”</p> -<p>As they strolled slowly downtown, Peggy told -Greta about the night’s events, starting with the discovery -of the make-up kit and what it told her about -the background and history of their secretive friend. -She then told, shamefaced, of her deliberate decision -to search Paula’s room to learn more.</p> -<p>“I couldn’t just turn my mind off!” she cried. -“When I learned that Paula wasn’t a poor orphan -after all, all I could think of was her parents and -what they must be going through. I just had to find -out how to reach them!”</p> -<p>“Nobody’s blaming you, Peggy,” Greta said. “I -would have done the same thing myself. There’s no -reason to feel that you did anything bad, and I’m -sure that when Paula finds out, even she will feel that -you only acted out of concern for others.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_111">111</div> -<p>Peggy respected Greta’s judgment, and her approval -made things seem a lot better. With more -confidence than before, and with no further apologies, -she told Greta what she had learned from the -labels in Paula’s clothes, and finally, about finding -Paula’s home address in the copy of Shakespeare.</p> -<p>“Well,” Greta said, “you certainly learned a lot -tonight. But the thing that puzzles me is what you’re -going to do next in order to find out who her parents -are without arousing all kinds of suspicions and -trouble. That is, unless you just want to write or -phone to ‘Eagletop’ and tell them about Paula and -her whereabouts.”</p> -<p>“I’d rather not,” Peggy said. “I think it would be a -lot better for Paula and her parents if she did that -herself. But I also think that the only way to do it is -to tell her that we know exactly who she is, and let -her know that we intend to get in touch with her parents -if she doesn’t do it herself.”</p> -<p>“I suppose we could do that with the information -we already have,” Amy said thoughtfully.</p> -<p>“We could,” Peggy agreed, “but I would hate to -blunder into something when we don’t have all the -facts. When we find out just who Paula’s parents are, -we may at the same time find some perfectly good -reason why she shouldn’t call them. I’d like to give -her the full benefit of the doubt until we have all the -information we need.”</p> -<p>Greta nodded. “I think that makes sense,” she said.</p> -<p>“The only problem we have left now,” Peggy said -with a frown, “is to find a way to get the information -we need without stirring things up. If only we -knew someone in Los Angeles we could trust, it -would be easy. Do either of you have any ideas?”</p> -<p>Amy and Greta furrowed their brows and shook -their heads.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_112">112</div> -<p>Suddenly Greta slapped herself on the forehead -and grinned. “Of course! Of course I know somebody—and -so do you!”</p> -<p>“Who?” Peggy and Amy asked in chorus.</p> -<p>“Dot!” Greta said triumphantly. “Our housemate, -Dot! You know she’s on tour with a show—and I -know that her company is either in Los Angeles now, -or is due to open there in a few days! We can get in -touch with her at her hotel, and ask her to do some -sleuthing for us. Besides, she comes from California -in the first place, and she knows her way around -Los Angeles. It should be easy for her to find out -what we want to know!”</p> -<p>“That’s a wonderful idea,” Peggy said enthusiastically. -“Now all we have to do is go back to the -Gramercy Arms and find her touring schedule and -get in touch with her in Los Angeles. I can’t wait! -Let’s hurry up, and if she’s in town now, we can -phone right away!”</p> -<p>Greta looked at her watch. “If she is there, it’s too -late to phone now. It’s eleven-thirty here, which -makes it eight-thirty in California, and that means -that the curtain is just getting ready to go up on the -first act of her show. We’ll just have to be patient until -tomorrow, and call her at her hotel.”</p> -<p>“<i>If</i> she’s in Los Angeles now,” Amy said.</p> -<p>“There’s only one way to find out,” Peggy commented, -“and that’s to get back to the Gramercy -Arms before May Berriman goes to bed, and ask to -see Dot’s traveling schedule. Otherwise we’ll have to -wait until tomorrow even to know where Dot is, and -I’m afraid I won’t be able to get any sleep tonight -unless I know.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_113">113</div> -<p>The girls increased their pace and covered the remaining -blocks to Gramercy Park in record time. -They hurried up the steep front steps of the Gramercy -Arms, happy to see that the sitting-room light -was on in May Berriman’s apartment.</p> -<p>As soon as the door was opened, Peggy, breathless -with running and excitement, asked if they could -see Dot’s itinerary. “And I’m sorry we’re bothering -you so late,” she added, “but we saw your light on, -and....”</p> -<p>May Berriman dismissed the apology with a small -gesture of her expressive hands. “No trouble at all, -Peggy,” she said. “When you get to be my age, you’ll -find that sleep isn’t quite as attractive or necessary -as it used to be. I personally resent having to give -up perfectly good hours to what I consider an utter -waste of time. Sit down, girls. I’ll have what you -need in a minute.”</p> -<p>In less time than that, she was back with a sheet -of notepaper, which she handed to Peggy. A moment’s -looking, and a quick calculation of dates, -brought a sigh of disappointment. Peggy looked at -the expectant faces of Greta and Amy, and nodded -unhappily.</p> -<p>“She’s still in Salt Lake City, according to this. -The show closes there tonight, and they won’t arrive -in Los Angeles for two more days.”</p> -<p>“What’s this all about?” May Berriman asked. -“That is, if I’m not butting in on something that’s -not my business.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_114">114</div> -<p>“It’s about Paula,” Peggy explained. “You know, -the girl we’re all chipping in to help. We ... -we’ve got an idea about something that may help -her, only we need some information that’s in California, -and we hope Dot can get it for us.”</p> -<p>“Well, Peggy,” May Berriman said with a smile, -“when they give out prizes for artful dodging, I’m -going to recommend you for a first! If you didn’t -want to answer my question, you only had to say so.”</p> -<p>Blushing, Peggy stammered, “I ... I didn’t -mean ... I mean, it’s not as if there’s anything to -hide ... I just....”</p> -<p>“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t tell May,” -Greta said. “Besides, she might have some ideas that -could help us.”</p> -<p>“All right,” Peggy said, after a moment’s reflection. -“I don’t mind at all telling you about Paula, May. -That’s not the point. It’s just that I did something -tonight that I’m a little uncomfortable about, and I -didn’t like the idea of telling you about that. Still, I -did it, and there’s no changing it, so you might as -well know the kind of girl I am.”</p> -<p>“The kind of girls we are,” Amy commented. “After -all, I did it, too, and I’m no more casual about it than -you are.”</p> -<p>May Berriman sat down in her tall, straight-backed -chair, folded her hands in her lap and assumed an -attentive look. “You can start talking now,” she said -a little sternly.</p> -<p>Peggy’s story did not take long, and when she was -done, she looked anxiously at the owner of the Gramercy -Arms. “Do you think we did the right thing?” -she asked.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_115">115</div> -<p>“Your motives in searching Paula’s room were certainly -good ones,” May Berriman said judicially, -“and you didn’t actually break in, even if you did -enter on slightly false pretenses. All in all, I’d say -that you haven’t anything to be ashamed of. I also -like your decision to get the rest of the facts and talk -to Paula about them before you contact her parents. -That’s both wise and considerate.”</p> -<p>Peggy felt a sense of relief, knowing that May, a -stern and impartial judge of her girls’ conduct, approved -of her night’s undertaking. “It’s been a pretty -difficult time, May, as you can well imagine,” she -said. “But I suspect the next few days until Dot gets -to Los Angeles will be even more difficult. The three -of us are simply bursting with impatience.”</p> -<p>“Impatience,” May Berriman said in her most theatrical -voice, “is for amateurs waiting in the wings -ten minutes before their cue. My best advice to you -is to relax—until it’s time to go on. There’s no way to -hurry the action.”</p> -<p class="tb">Of course, May was right. There was no way to -hurry the action. On the other hand, Peggy, Amy, -and Greta found that there was also no easy way to -relax. The next two days dragged by only as days -can drag when you want nothing more than for them -to come to an end.</p> -<p>Rehearsals, school, studying, all took up many -hours, but for the first time since Come Closer had -started casting, Peggy seemed to have extra hours in -the day. And each of those extra hours seemed like a -day in itself.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_116">116</div> -<p>As she went through the now-familiar routine of -crowded days and nights, she could not rid her mind -of the thought of Paula Andrews and of—somewhere—Paula’s -parents, wondering where she was. And -as Paula began to bloom from her new, nourishing -diet, Peggy seemed to fade with her preoccupations.</p> -<p>But nothing lasts forever, and soon the two long -days were at an end.</p> -<p>The girls put in their phone call at noon, knowing -that it was only nine in Los Angeles and that Dot -would surely be asleep at that hour after a late arrival -the night before. It seemed a pity to wake her, -but it was better than waiting and taking a chance -of missing her entirely.</p> -<p>“What? Who? Where?” Dot’s voice, fogged with -sleep and confusion, came over the three thousand -miles of telephone wire as clearly as if she had been -next door.</p> -<p>“It’s me, Dot! Peggy Lane. In New York!”</p> -<p>“Why?” Dot demanded, this time a little less -foggy. “It’s wonderful to hear your nice, friendly, -wide-awake, noontime New York voice,” she said in -her normal peppery manner, “but not when I was in -the middle of a dream about landing a movie lead -that was going to get me an Oscar!”</p> -<p>“I’m sorry to wake you, Dot,” Peggy said, “but this -is important, and I didn’t want to find that you’d -gone out. We want you to do a favor for us.”</p> -<p>“What is it?” Dot asked. “It must be darned important -to spend all this money to call.”</p> -<p>“Dot, it’s too complicated to explain why I want -you to do what I’m going to ask, so don’t ask why. I -want you to go to a house called Eagletop, on Canyon -Road in Beverly Hills, only don’t go in. I want -you to find out, in whatever way you can, who lives -there. Also, I’d like you to find out if they have a -daughter and where she is.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_117">117</div> -<p>“And how am I going to do this without going in?” -Dot asked. “And why can’t I go in, anyway? I could -just ring the bell and ask—”</p> -<p>“No!” Peggy exclaimed. “That’s just what you -can’t do. And I can’t go into the whys, as I said. I’ll -write you a letter. Meanwhile, the important thing -is to learn what you can, and not to let anyone in -the house know that you’re asking questions.”</p> -<p>“Well, if you say it’s important to do it this way,” -Dot answered, “I’ll do my best. But how...?”</p> -<p>“You’ll think of a way,” Peggy said cheerfully. -“You’re a bright girl!”</p> -<p>“Thanks,” Dot said sourly. “Your compliment puts -the whole thing on my shoulders ... which is what -you had in mind, I guess.”</p> -<p>“Well, you know the city, and we don’t, and—” -Peggy began.</p> -<p>“I know, I know,” Dot cut her off. “Don’t worry -about it. I only have to know one thing more. What -do you want me to do when I find the answers?”</p> -<p>“Call here,” Peggy said. “If I’m not here, tell Amy -or Greta or May, but not one other person. Understand?”</p> -<p>“Okay,” Dot agreed, “and I feel a lot better, knowing -May’s in on it.”</p> -<p>“Good. When do you think you can go up there?”</p> -<p>“Right after breakfast,” Dot said. “I’ll phone you -by three this afternoon—that’s six in New York. Will -you be there?”</p> -<p>“You bet!” Peggy said. “And thanks a million, -Dot!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_118">118</div> -<p>Peggy replaced the phone and turned to her -friends. “We’ll have whatever answers Dot can dig up -today. She’ll phone us by six. That is, if she doesn’t -go back to sleep again.”</p> -<p>“And if I know our Dot,” Greta commented, “that’s -a darned big ‘if.’”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_119">119</div> -<h2 id="c12"><span class="h2line1">XII</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Which Way to Go?</span></h2> -<p>But Dot was as good as her word, and as resourceful -as Peggy and her friends had hoped she would be. -The call came through on time, the information was -complete and accurate. Peggy put down the phone, -turned to the expectant faces of Amy, Greta, and -May, and slowly sat down as if in a daze.</p> -<p>“Wow!” she said quietly.</p> -<p>“What is it?” the girls asked in chorus.</p> -<p>“We’ve got our story,” Peggy said, “but I still don’t -know exactly what to make of it.”</p> -<p>“Well, for goodness’ sake, <i>tell</i> us!” Greta said impatiently.</p> -<p>Peggy gathered her thoughts for a few seconds, -drew a deep breath, and began. “Paula Andrews is -the daughter of Stacy Blair and—”</p> -<p>“Stacy Blair? The actress?” Amy gasped.</p> -<p>“Yes,” Peggy said. “The one and only Stacy Blair. -And her father is Dean Andrews, the producer and -director.”</p> -<p>“Wow is the word all right,” Greta said.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_120">120</div> -<p>“I knew she looked familiar,” Amy commented. -“We all felt that we had seen her somewhere before. -She looks like her mother. And no wonder she’s such -a good actress.”</p> -<p>“This answers a lot of questions,” Peggy said. -“But it leaves a lot of questions, too. The big one is, -with parents like that, why would Paula pretend to -be an orphan? And why would she go so far with the -pretense as to actually starve herself?”</p> -<p>“I would say that’s a question only Paula can -answer,” put in May Berriman, who had been silent -until now. “And I think the best thing to do is to go -directly to her, tell her what you know, and ask her -to give you her full confidence. After all,” she added, -“you have a right to know. She’s taking money and -help from you girls on—well, on false pretenses. If -you’re going to help her, at least you ought to know -why.”</p> -<p>“The money isn’t important, May,” Peggy replied. -“But there are important reasons for knowing. For -one thing, her parents must be terribly worried about -her. And for another thing, she’s the leading lady in -our play. I don’t know what kind of publicity—good -or bad—would come of having her discovered once -we open. I think Mal and Randy should know about -this, so as to make their decisions.”</p> -<p>The others agreed, knowing that it would be impossible -for Paula to act in the play for long without -being recognized.</p> -<p>“I suppose it’s not important,” Amy said, “but I -can’t help wondering how Dot found out all this in -such a short time.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_121">121</div> -<p>“She’s a smart gal,” Peggy answered. “She simply -took her camera and bought a cheap autograph book -and started walking around the streets in the Canyon -Road area, pretending to be a movie-fan tourist. She -struck up a conversation with a postman, and asked -a lot of questions about who lived in the houses -around her. Whenever she asked about a famous -person’s house, she took a snapshot. When the postman -saw she wasn’t going to actually disturb any of -the people on his route, he let her walk with him, and -he told her a lot about the people who lived in the -area. That’s how she found out about Mr. and Mrs. -Andrews, and about Paula. And she found out something -else, too. Paula is supposed to be in Europe.”</p> -<p>“In Europe?” Greta asked. “How does she know -that?”</p> -<p>“From the letters the postman delivers.”</p> -<p>“You’re not making sense. How can he?” Amy complained.</p> -<p>“That’s the peculiar part,” Peggy said, “and it’s -what I meant when I said that there would be even -more questions to answer. You see, Dot said that the -postman told her he delivered letters from Paula, -from different parts of Europe.”</p> -<p>“But Paula has been right here all the time!” Amy -cried.</p> -<p>Peggy nodded slowly. “She’s been here for about -three months that we know of for sure. And the postman -said that she wrote to her parents regularly, at -least once a week, until recently. He said that it’s -been perhaps a month since they’ve had a letter, and -that her parents seem pretty worried. Every so often -they wait for the mail to come, and they ask him to -look again, to be sure that they don’t have a letter -from Paula.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_122">122</div> -<p>After a moment’s silence, while they all puzzled -about the meaning of this latest development, May -Berriman spoke decisively. “It seems to me that every -minute we waste discussing the possibilities is a -minute of uncertainty and unhappiness for this girl’s -parents—and for her, too. Peggy, I think you should -go right to her this minute and get to the bottom of -the affair immediately.”</p> -<p>“Oh dear,” Peggy said unhappily. “I know you’re -right, but I’ve been sort of trying to put it off. I just -hate to be the one to tell her that we’ve been spying -on her.”</p> -<p>“I know how you feel, Peggy,” May Berriman said, -managing to sound gentle and stern at the same -time, “but after all, you—”</p> -<p>“I know, May,” Peggy interrupted. “You don’t -have to tell me. I started the whole thing, and it’s up -to me to finish it. Besides, I’ve formed a closer friendship -with Paula than any of the rest of you. You’re -right. I’d better do it, and I’d better do it right -away.”</p> -<p>As she started from the room, Amy stood up to follow. -“Peggy,” she called, “I’m coming, too.”</p> -<p>“No, Amy,” Peggy said. “It’s good of you, but I -think I’d better do it alone. It may be harder for me -that way, but it will be easier for Paula. I’ll meet you -all down at the theater as soon as I can get there.”</p> -<p>With a distracted wave of her hand, she left.</p> -<p>On the way to Paula’s apartment, she rehearsed -several possible opening phrases, several tactful approaches -to the problem of telling her friend that she -knew her identity. Somehow, nothing seemed quite -right, and when she finally stepped out of the little -elevator and knocked on Paula’s door, her mind was -blank. Paula greeted her with a smile.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_123">123</div> -<p>“Peggy! What a nice surprise! I was just thinking -of calling you up. I thought we might be able to have -dinner together before going down to the theater -tonight.”</p> -<p>“I’m glad I caught you before you went out,” -Peggy said. “Paula. Sit down, will you? I—I want to -talk to you. You see, this isn’t exactly a—well—a -social visit, although it is a friendly one. I’m coming -to you as a friend, to ask you to be honest with me.”</p> -<p>“Honest? Why, Peggy, I....” Paula’s voice -trailed off, and she became pale and still.</p> -<p>“Yes, you know what I mean,” Peggy said. “It’s -time to be honest about yourself—and honest with -yourself. You can’t go on pretending to be what -you’re not. I’m sorry, Paula, but I know all about -you. I know who you are, and who your parents are, -and I know that they think you’re in Europe. I’ve ... I’ve -been snooping.”</p> -<p>“Have you talked to them?” Paula asked in a -quavery voice. “Do they know where I am?”</p> -<p>“Nobody has talked to them,” Peggy assured her. -“I think you ought to do that yourself.”</p> -<p>“Thank goodness!” Paula breathed. “But why...?”</p> -<p>“Why did I poke into your affairs?” Peggy supplied. -“Because I was sure that you weren’t telling -me the truth about yourself, and I was sure that your -parents didn’t know where you were and that they -were probably worried sick, whoever they were. I -wanted to find out, so that I could help you. You -must believe that. I didn’t do it out of personal curiosity, -Paula, but just to help you.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_124">124</div> -<p>“I believe that, Peggy,” Paula said. “But really, it -wasn’t necessary. My parents think I’m all right. -They believe I’m in Europe, and they get letters -from me, and—”</p> -<p>“No, they don’t,” Peggy interrupted. “They -haven’t received a letter in almost a month.”</p> -<p>“Oh, no!” Paula gasped. “I was afraid of that! But -how do you know, if you haven’t spoken to them?”</p> -<p>“Don’t bother about that now,” Peggy said. “I think -the best thing is for you to start at the beginning and -tell me the whole story. Then we can put the pieces -together.”</p> -<p>Paula nodded in silent agreement, then drew a -deep breath and started.</p> -<p>“My parents are wonderful people,” she began. -“They’ve given me everything a girl could want, and -I love them dearly. They’re both understanding and -talented and charming and generous ... oh, all the -things you want people to be! When I decided that -I wanted to be an actress, they did everything they -could to help me. I was sent to the best dramatic -coaches and schools, introduced to all the people who -would be good to know. They helped me get placed -with the best repertory theater group in California, -and when I started to get good parts, they saw to it -that the leading critics came out to see me. I got wonderful -notices, and I got a few movie offers, but—”</p> -<p>“But what?” Peggy asked. “It sounds as if you had -everything in the world!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_125">125</div> -<p>“I did,” Paula answered. “Everything except self-confidence. -I was never sure whether I was getting -the good parts and the good reviews because I was -me, or because I was my parents’ daughter. My -mother is, well, very popular with all the show people -in Hollywood, as well as being a famous actress. Nobody -would ever do anything to hurt her. I was afraid -I was being carried along because everybody wanted -to be nice to her. And my father, too. He’s well-liked, -and he’s also very—influential.”</p> -<p>“I see,” Peggy said thoughtfully. “And you wanted -to try your talent on your own. But why didn’t you -explain that to your parents?”</p> -<p>“They thought I was being foolish,” Paula said. -“They told me that I should take whatever help I -could get on my way to the stage, because once I got -there, I would have to stand on my own feet anyway. -Maybe they were right.”</p> -<p>“They were,” Peggy said decisively. “And it seems -to me that we had this conversation once before, and -I told you the same thing. You have to be willing to -be helped. I think that you believe it a little more -now than you did before.”</p> -<p>“I guess so,” Paula agreed. “But I certainly wasn’t -convinced before. When I got the movie offers, I was -afraid that I would be a failure. I wanted to be sure -first that I could get a part and please an audience on -my own merits. So I turned down the offers. I said -that I wanted to complete my education first. I asked -my parents to let me spend a year in Europe, so that -I could learn a little more about people and the -world. They agreed, on condition that I went with -a friend. My friend Nancy Frome was planning to go -abroad for a year anyway. She’s several years older -than I, and my parents were satisfied to have me go -with her.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_126">126</div> -<p>“And you arranged with her that she would mail -previously written letters to your parents to convince -them that you were in Europe, right?” Peggy put in.</p> -<p>“That’s right,” Paula said. “Nancy agreed to do -that, and to mail me the letters my parents sent. That -way, I could answer any specific questions and make -my letters sound natural. I mailed my letters to my -parents over to Nancy, and she posted them from -Europe.”</p> -<p>“But what went wrong?” Peggy asked. “How come -you ran out of money, if your parents gave you -enough for a year in Europe? And how come your -friend stopped sending letters home?”</p> -<p>“I don’t know, Peggy,” Paula said earnestly. “I’ve -been worried to death about it. I haven’t heard from -Nancy for almost a month. You see, that’s why I ran -out of money. My parents naturally didn’t want me -to carry too much cash with me, so they arranged to -send regular monthly checks to me at the cities I was -supposed to visit. As soon as the checks came to the -hotel, Nancy would send them to me in New York, -I would sign them and mail them back, and Nancy -would cash them in Europe. That way, the bank -markings on the backs of the checks wouldn’t be from -New York, but from Paris, or Milan or Rome or -wherever Nancy was. Then Nancy would send me a -money order. The whole process only took about -a week by air mail, and it worked fine for a while.”</p> -<p>“It sounds complicated, but it makes sense,” Peggy -said. “That is, as much sense as it could make, once -you had decided to do a foolish thing. But what went -wrong?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_127">127</div> -<p>“I don’t know,” Paula repeated miserably. “All of -a sudden the money stopped coming, and I didn’t get -any letters from Nancy. At that point, I didn’t know -what to do. I’m convinced that Nancy either must -have had an accident, or else she’s ill, because -I know that I can trust her. She must be unable to -send mail. I’m scared! I would have quit the show -and gone to Europe to find out, but by then I didn’t -have any money left. My father’s London office probably -could locate her right away, but I didn’t want -to call my parents and tell them, because then no -good at all would have come of the whole affair. I -just kept hoping each day that I’d hear from Nancy. -And meanwhile, opening night was coming closer, -and I thought that if I could just hold out until then—and -until I saw the notices in the papers—I could -tell my parents, and maybe they’d understand.”</p> -<p>“Well, maybe so,” Peggy said, “but, to tell you the -truth, Paula, I doubt it. They’ll surely understand -your desire to prove yourself, but I can’t imagine that -they’ll appreciate the way you chose to do it.”</p> -<p>Paula nodded, looking unhappier every minute.</p> -<p>“What do you think I ought to do, Peggy?”</p> -<p>“I think you ought to call them right now and tell -them you’re all right. Then you can explain what -you’ve done, and see what they say.”</p> -<p>“No! No, Peggy! I know you’re right, but I also -know what they’d do! They would come right to New -York, and they’re unable to travel anywhere without -being recognized and followed by reporters and -photographers. And once the newspapers get hold of -a story like this, it’ll be all over the place, and when -opening night is over, I’ll still not know whether -I was good or not—or if I made a splash because of -my name and my publicity.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_128">128</div> -<p>“But you can’t keep them worrying any longer!” -Peggy exclaimed.</p> -<p>“It’s not much longer, Peggy,” Paula pleaded. “We -open in three days—just three more days! Then I’ll -tell them!”</p> -<p>“I think you’re doing the wrong thing,” Peggy said, -“but I suppose there’s no way I can force you to do -otherwise. Of course ... I can always call them -myself, but I’d rather you did it.”</p> -<p>“Please, Peggy! Promise me you won’t do that!” -Paula begged.</p> -<p>“I ... I’ll think it over,” Peggy said. “I don’t want -to make any promises before I think.”</p> -<p>Both girls sat in unhappy silence for what seemed -like a long time.</p> -<p>“Paula,” Peggy began after a while, “I hope you’ll -forgive me for—”</p> -<p>“Of course,” Paula interrupted. “There’s nothing to -forgive. I know you were doing it for my own good. -And if it hadn’t been for you—”</p> -<p>Peggy cut her off with an impatient nod. “Please -don’t thank me for that,” she said. “As long as you -know I was just trying to help. And all I want to -know now is that we can keep on being friends.”</p> -<p>“You’re the best friend I’ve ever had,” Paula said -solemnly, “and I don’t know why you even want to -have anything to do with someone who’s acted as -selfishly and inconsiderately as I have.”</p> -<p>“It’s because I want to meet your famous parents!” -Peggy said, laughing.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_129">129</div> -<p>For a moment Paula was taken aback, then she too -burst out laughing. The surface strain of the meeting -was broken, and in a much lighter mood, the two -girls left the apartment for dinner and the night’s -rehearsal.</p> -<p>But Peggy knew that it was only the surface that -was smooth. Underneath, she still felt the strain of -the last hour—of the last weeks. She had been asked -to give her promise to Paula, and she had not done so. -The decision was still to be made, and until it was, -Peggy knew that she would not have a moment’s -peace.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_130">130</div> -<h2 id="c13"><span class="h2line1">XIII</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">A Decision</span></h2> -<p>During rehearsal that night, and afterward, Peggy -managed to have as little contact with Paula as possible. -She felt that they were both talked out on the -subject by now, and any further conversation would -only serve to confuse the issue, rather than clarify it.</p> -<p>Shortly after midnight, when Mal dismissed the -cast, Peggy, Amy, and Greta made a quick and unobtrusive -exit and hurried back to the Gramercy Arms -to discuss the matter with May Berriman.</p> -<p>May had been expecting a meeting this evening, -and was waiting for the girls in the huge and friendly -kitchen downstairs. Hot chocolate perfumed the air, -and a tray of warm, freshly made cookies was set out -on the long sawbuck table.</p> -<p>When the girls were seated, and the chocolate -had been poured, Peggy repeated what Paula had -told her. She finished by telling of Paula’s request -that nobody contact her parents until after opening -night.</p> -<p>“And did you agree?” May Berriman asked.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_131">131</div> -<p>“No,” Peggy said uneasily. “I couldn’t. But I didn’t -say that I would call them either. I told her that I -would have to think it over.”</p> -<p>“What have you decided?” May asked, in a voice -like a conscience.</p> -<p>“... I haven’t really come to a decision yet, -May,” Peggy said. “I’ve been thinking about it all -evening.”</p> -<p>“Amy? Greta? What do you think?” May Berriman -pursued.</p> -<p>The girls shook their heads and looked at each -other.</p> -<p>“It seems to me,” the old actress said with slow -dignity, “that Peggy made her decision some days -ago, even before the whole story was known.”</p> -<p>“What do you mean?” Peggy asked.</p> -<p>“I mean that I remember you saying that people -were more important than plays. And that, I presume, -goes for careers, too. People, and people’s feelings, -are the most important thing in the world. I think -that you’ve already decided to call Paula’s parents.”</p> -<p>“I haven’t decided yet,” Peggy answered. “Even -though I agree that people and their feelings are the -most important thing. You see, I have to consider -Paula’s feelings, too, don’t I?”</p> -<p>“No,” May Berriman said firmly. “She’s been considering -her own feelings long enough, and all of you -have done nothing but help her to continue her -foolishness. Maybe it’s because of my age, but I can’t -consider her feelings anywhere near as important as -the feelings of her parents. They haven’t heard from -her for a month. The checks they sent haven’t been -cashed. They probably are frightened to death, and -I wouldn’t be surprised if they had the police forces -in half the countries of Europe searching for Paula. I -think it’s time somebody put a stop to it.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_132">132</div> -<p>The girls considered what May had said, and -silently sipped their chocolate. Nobody cared to say -anything, Amy and Greta each having decided individually -that the final decision must come from -Peggy.</p> -<p>It was a long time until the silence was broken.</p> -<p>“All right, May,” Peggy said. “I can’t argue with -you, because I know you’re right. There’s nothing to -do but call them, and now’s as good a time as any.”</p> -<p>She glanced at the tall grandfather clock in the -corner. “It’s not quite ten o’clock in California now,” -she said. “I’ll go upstairs and call.”</p> -<p>“But what if it’s an unlisted phone number?” Amy -asked.</p> -<p>“Oh-oh,” said Peggy. “You’re right, of course, Amy. -A famous star like Stacy Blair would never have a -listed number. She’d be bothered to death.” She -sighed impatiently. “Well, I’ll just have to send her -a wire.”</p> -<p>“Wait a minute, Peggy,” May Berriman said suddenly. -“I know someone who’s a close friend of the -Andrews, and she’s right here in New York. Let me -call her. She’s bound to know their number.”</p> -<p>May went up the stairs with surprising agility -while the three girls waited in excited silence. She -soon returned waving a slip of paper and announced -dramatically, “I’ve got it!”</p> -<p>Peggy stood up and crossed the room. May handed -her the slip on which the number was written. At the -foot of the stairs, Peggy paused and said, “I’ll be back -in a few minutes. Please wait up for me, will you?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_133">133</div> -<p>“You couldn’t get us to bed now at gunpoint!” -Greta said.</p> -<p>Peggy went upstairs and put through the call. The -Andrews telephone was answered by a woman.</p> -<p>“Andrews residence,” she said crisply.</p> -<p>“I’d like to speak to Mrs. Andrews,” Peggy said.</p> -<p>“Who is calling, please?”</p> -<p>“My name is Peggy Lane. She doesn’t know me, -but I’m a friend of her daughter’s, and I have some -information about her that I know Mrs. Andrews -would want to hear.”</p> -<p>“About Miss Paula? Tell me! Is she all right? -Where—?”</p> -<p>“Yes, yes, she’s all right,” Peggy said, somewhat -impatiently. “Now, please, won’t you call Mrs. -Andrews to the phone?”</p> -<p>“I’m sorry, Miss Lane,” the voice at the other end -said, “but Mr. and Mrs. Andrews aren’t here.”</p> -<p>“When do you expect them back?” Peggy asked.</p> -<p>“I don’t know. They’re in New York now, on their -way to Europe, if they haven’t left already. I believe -they plan to catch a plane tonight.”</p> -<p>“Tonight! But ... what airline? How can I reach -them if they haven’t left yet?”</p> -<p>“You might try the hotel in New York,” the maid -said. “They had to stop over for plane connections, -but I don’t know for how long. They always stay at -the Plaza, and you might get them there.”</p> -<p>“Thank you,” Peggy said hurriedly. “I’ll call them -right—”</p> -<p>“But wait!” the maid interrupted. “Tell me about -Miss Paula! Where is she? Has she had an accident? -What—?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_134">134</div> -<p>“She’s right here in New York!” Peggy cried. “And -I can’t talk more now! I have to stop her parents before -they fly off to Europe! Thank you—good-by!”</p> -<p>Peggy hurriedly hung up before the anxious woman -could continue her questioning. Swiftly thumbing -through the phone book, she picked out the number -of the Plaza and dialed.</p> -<p>“I’m sorry,” a smooth clerkish voice answered, “but -Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have already checked out.”</p> -<p>“When?” Peggy asked. “What time?”</p> -<p>“About a half hour ago,” the voice said calmly. “I -believe they left for the airport.”</p> -<p>“I know,” Peggy said excitedly. “But which airline? -Do you know, or is there any way you could find -out?”</p> -<p>“One moment, please,” the voice replied. “Perhaps -the bell captain knows.”</p> -<p>There was a clatter as the phone was placed on a -marble surface, and Peggy waited nervously. In the -background, she heard the dim noises of the hotel -lobby, the thin sound of a dance tune, occasional -small voices. For what seemed an endless stretch of -time, she waited. At last, when it seemed that her -nerves could stand not one moment more, she heard -the phone being picked up.</p> -<p>“The bell captain says they were going to International -Airways Terminal, miss,” the helpful voice -said. “I’m sorry it took so much time, but I checked -the doorman as well, to see if he overheard the taxi -directions. Fortunately he did.”</p> -<p>“Thank you,” Peggy said fervently. “Thank you -very much!” She rang off and then promptly dialed -Randy.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_135">135</div> -<p>A sleepy voice answered at the seventh ring. -“Wha’?” Randy said.</p> -<p>“Randy, it’s Peggy. I’m sorry to wake you, but don’t -stop to ask why. Just pull yourself together fast!”</p> -<p>“All right. Okay. I’m awake now,” Randy said. -“What’s the trouble, Peggy?”</p> -<p>“I’ll explain later, when there’s time,” she said. -“Right now, we haven’t a minute to lose. I want you -to get dressed as fast as you can, and come right up -here with the car. Make sure you have plenty of gas. -I’ll be waiting.”</p> -<p>“But ... all right.” Randy said. “You don’t sound -as if you’re kidding. I’ll see you in about ten minutes!” -He hung up.</p> -<p>Peggy ran down to the kitchen.</p> -<p>“I’m afraid we’ve talked about things for too long,” -she said dismally, “and acted a little too late. If only -I had made up my mind an hour sooner!”</p> -<p>“What’s wrong?” Amy asked.</p> -<p>Peggy explained what had happened. “Now they’re -on their way to Idlewild,” she concluded, “and I -don’t know if we stand a chance of reaching them before -they take off. Randy’s on his way here now, and -we’re going to try to get there in time, even if it -means getting a police escort or the worst speeding -tickets they hand out! Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have -over half an hour’s head start.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_136">136</div> -<p>“I think you have a good chance of making it,” -May said calmly, “without exceeding the speed limits. -If you are stopped by a policeman, you’ll lose more -time than if Randy drives properly. Besides, their -head start isn’t as great as you think it is. The airlines -always make passengers arrive at least a half-hour -before flight time, and most people allow even more -time than that, in case of traffic delays. Still ... I -admit, you haven’t got too much time to stand around -talking.”</p> -<p>“Randy said he’d be here in ten minutes,” Peggy -said, “and it’s just about that now. I’d better go. Keep -your fingers crossed.” She darted up the stairs.</p> -<p>The two girls and May Berriman looked at each -other.</p> -<p>“I suggest,” May Berriman said with an air of -finality, “that we switch from cocoa to coffee. I think -it’s going to be a long night, and I, for one, have no -intention of trying to sleep until it’s all over.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_137">137</div> -<h2 id="c14"><span class="h2line1">XIV</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Race Against Time</span></h2> -<p>Peggy struggled into her coat and stepped out onto -the front stoop of the Gramercy Arms just in time to -see Randy’s sleek old English automobile turn the -corner and pull up with a squeal of brakes in front of -the steps.</p> -<p>She ran down the steps, wrenched open the door -and slid in next to Randy.</p> -<p>“Idlewild Airport,” she gasped. “As fast as you can -without getting stopped!”</p> -<p>“But—”</p> -<p>“No but’s,” she interrupted. “Let’s go!”</p> -<p>Randy put the big car smoothly into motion, turned -east and headed for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive.</p> -<p>“We’re going to the International Airways Building,” -Peggy said. “Do you know where it is?”</p> -<p>“Yes,” Randy answered. “And now that you’re settled -down and have your breath back, do you mind -telling me what’s happening?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_138">138</div> -<p>“It’s Paula,” Peggy said. “Paula’s mother is Stacy -Blair, the movie star, and she’s going to Europe to -hunt for Paula because she doesn’t know she’s right -here in New York and we have to stop them before -the plane leaves, and—”</p> -<p>“Wait a minute,” Randy interrupted. “Who thinks -who’s in Europe and whom do we have to stop? You -mean that Paula’s going to Europe to find her mother, -or Paula’s mother is going to Europe to find Paula?”</p> -<p>“That’s right,” Peggy said. “I mean, the last thing -you said is right. Paula’s mother and father are on -their way to Idlewild now to catch a plane for Europe. -They think Paula’s there. It’s simple.”</p> -<p>“It’s the most complicated piece of simplicity I’ve -ever heard,” Randy commented. “Now why don’t you -start from the beginning and tell it slowly and clearly? -It’s not going to affect the time it takes to get to -Idlewild, so you might as well relax.”</p> -<p>Of course it wasn’t simple, as Peggy realized once -she tried to explain the whole affair. It was necessary -to tell Randy how she found out about Paula, and -what Paula had been trying to accomplish, and how -she had found out that Paula’s parents were on their -way. By the time she had finished telling it, they -had left Manhattan behind them, and were speeding -along the express highways of Long Island.</p> -<p>Every so often, coming to the top of one of the low -rolling hills that make up the gigantic sandbar that -is Long Island, Peggy could see the lights and towers -of Manhattan, seeming never to drop much farther -behind. She had, for a moment, the nightmare sensation -of running, running, running with every possible -effort, and getting nowhere at all.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_139">139</div> -<p>Fortunately, the highways were nearly deserted at -this late hour, and Randy was able to make good time. -The powerful engine under the long hood of the big -English car purred with a low, well-tuned sound as -they raced through the night, past the darkened -windows of houses and garden apartments. The -speedometer needle quivered at the sixty mark, and -Peggy kept glancing nervously behind her, expecting -at any moment to see the flashing red light and hear -the warning siren of a pursuing police patrol car, but -none came.</p> -<p>Once they passed a lurking police car, waiting with -darkened lights to catch a speeder, but Randy’s driving, -though fast, was steady and unobtrusive. The -patrol car stayed parked in the field alongside the -road.</p> -<p>Finally, Peggy made out the searchlights of the airport, -far ahead of them, and then the general glow in -the sky that marked the landing strips, public buildings, -lounges, and airline ticket offices.</p> -<p>As they approached the airport, Randy broke the -silence. “I’ll drive straight to the International Airways -Building,” he said, “and I’ll put the car in the -employees’ parking lot. The regular parking lot takes -a little more time, especially if we have to wait for -a ticket. We can go right in from the employees’ lot, -and worry about getting a ticket later.”</p> -<p>“How do we go about finding Mr. and Mrs. -Andrews when we get there?” Peggy asked. “We -don’t even know what plane they’re taking.”</p> -<p>“We shouldn’t have any trouble finding out about -that,” Randy said. “I’m sure that even International -Airways doesn’t have more than one plane bound -for Europe at this time of night. We’ll look at the -flight schedule board, and then head for the gate. At -least there’s no problem about recognizing Paula’s -mother when we do find her. She has one of the most -famous faces in the world, I guess.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_140">140</div> -<p>By now they were on the approach road to Idlewild -Airport, which looked like something out of -a science-fiction movie. The highways curved in -symmetrical patterns, crossing over and under each -other, and arched over with slim, modern lamps. The -airline terminal buildings, brightly lighted, were each -different from the other, and different, too, from any -buildings that Peggy had ever seen. One looked like -a giant glass-and-steel mushroom; others, in the most -modern shapes, defied simple description. The International -Airways Building, one of the largest, was a -long, square, crystal box, with soaring bridges and -terraces connecting it to other buildings.</p> -<p>Randy drove under one of these bridges past the -front entrance of the building, swung sharply to the -right, and pulled the car into the parking lot reserved -for pilots. Before anyone could come to question -them, he and Peggy were out of the car, running for -the entrance.</p> -<p>Inside, in sharp contrast to the deserted highways -and sleeping landscape that they had just roared -through, the terminal was alive with hurrying people. -Loud-speakers were crackling with announcements, -porters carried baggage in all directions, people stood -in knots waiting for planes to leave or for planes to -arrive. Peggy’s head swam with the excitement.</p> -<p>“This way!” Randy said, and grabbed her by the -hand. He led her through a maze of people to a -counter at the far side of the room. Behind the -counter was a smartly uniformed young woman posting -information on a large blackboard.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_141">141</div> -<p>“Miss,” Randy called, “could you please tell me if -there’s a plane leaving for Europe—or scheduled to -leave for Europe—in the next few minutes?”</p> -<p>The girl smiled, stepped away from the blackboard -which she had been obscuring, and pointed. -“Take a look,” she said. “One left for Ireland about -five minutes ago. Another takes off for Lisbon in ten -minutes. Rome, fifteen minutes. Paris ... let’s see -... not for another half-hour. That enough for you?”</p> -<p>“Oh dear!” Peggy said. “We’ll never find them this -way! Miss, we’re looking for some people who are -probably scheduled to leave on one of those planes, -but we don’t know which. Perhaps you can help us?”</p> -<p>“The General Agent has all the passenger lists,” -the girl said. “You’ll find his office on the third floor, -and I’m sure that you can get the information you -want there.”</p> -<p>“But....” Peggy began.</p> -<p>“It’s quite simple,” the girl said efficiently. “Take -the elevator to your left, and the General Agent will -have your friends paged on the public address system....”</p> -<p>“Paged!” Peggy gasped.</p> -<p>“Oh, boy, are we stupid!” Randy said. “We should -have done that in the first place, instead of taking this -mad dash out here! Or we should have done that, too, -or had the girls do it....”</p> -<p>“But there’s no time for that now!” Peggy said. -“They might be boarding a plane this very minute!” -She turned again to the now puzzled girl. “Maybe -you’ve seen them,” she began. “We’re looking for—”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_142">142</div> -<p>“I’m sorry,” the girl said primly, “but I’m not -allowed to give any information about passengers, -even if I do know their names. Which I never do.”</p> -<p>“We’re looking for Mr. and Mrs. Dean Andrews,” -Peggy went on, ignoring the girl’s disclaimer. “She’s -Stacy Blair, the famous movie—”</p> -<p>“Stacy Blair!” the girl exclaimed. “Well, why didn’t -you say so in the first place? Of course I’ve seen her! -How could anyone miss? Why, I never—”</p> -<p>“Has she left yet?” Randy interrupted.</p> -<p>“Not yet,” the girl said, annoyed at being cut off. -“She’s scheduled to take the Lisbon plane that leaves -in eight minutes. But if you’re looking for an autograph, -you don’t have a chance. I tried myself, and -she didn’t even look at me. She’s in some sort of a bad -mood, and won’t talk to people. A lot of the girls and -passengers tried, but—”</p> -<p>“Lisbon! Gate fifteen!” Peggy read from the notice -board. “Thanks!” she called back to the uniformed girl -as she and Randy hurried for the exit that led to the -passenger loading gates.</p> -<p>They dashed past the gate attendant with a hurried -explanation that they just had to see somebody off. -Before he could stop them, they were racing down -the long corridor past the numbered passenger gates. -Through the broad windows, they could see a large -jet plane, its door opened and a boarding ramp being -wheeled up to its side. Through the trap below the -plane, they saw luggage being loaded.</p> -<p>“That must be it!” Randy panted.</p> -<p>“Attention, please!” rasped the loud-speaker. “Your -attention, please! Flight number two-oh-seven for -Lisbon now taking on passengers at gate fifteen! Gate -fifteen! Will all passengers for Lisbon please go to -gate fifteen....”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_143">143</div> -<p>“Good!” Peggy gasped. “We’re ahead of them! All -we have to do is wait at the gate and we’re sure to -see them!”</p> -<p>They slackened their pace somewhat, as they saw -that nobody was at the loading gate but a uniformed -airline official who was waiting to inspect the passengers’ -tickets before letting them board. As they -pulled up breathlessly at the railing, the man smiled.</p> -<p>“You didn’t have to rush,” he said. “We’re just -boarding now, and we won’t be taking off for another -ten minutes or so.”</p> -<p>“Oh, we’re not flying,” Peggy explained. “We just -wanted to be here first so that we wouldn’t miss some -people we want to see.”</p> -<p>“Oh, seeing off some friends,” the uniformed man -said. “You must really be fond of them to come out -at a late hour like this just for the fun of waving good-by!”</p> -<p>“Well, you might say that,” Randy said, reluctant -to give away the real purpose of their visit.</p> -<p>“If you wait right here, you can’t miss them,” the -man smiled. “In fact, here come the first ones now.”</p> -<p>Looking down the long corridor, Peggy and Randy -saw a knot of passengers approaching at a leisurely -pace. None of them seemed, even at this distance, to -be Stacy Blair. Peggy cast a puzzled look at Randy.</p> -<p>“They’ll probably be along in a minute or two,” he -said reassuringly. “I guess it’s only the new travelers -who hurry to be the first on board.”</p> -<p>They stood quietly by as the passengers checked -in, one by one, offering their tickets for inspection -to the uniformed official. As each passenger passed -through the gate, the inspector checked off his or her -name against a master list on his little standing desk.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_144">144</div> -<p>Peggy watched with mounting alarm as name after -name was checked off, and still Paula’s parents did -not appear. Catching her expression, the airline -official paused in his paperwork.</p> -<p>“Say,” he said, “you’re not waiting for Mr. and Mrs. -Blackstone, are you? Because if you are, I got word -that they had canceled, and your trip out here would -be for nothing.”</p> -<p>“No,” Peggy said, “not Blackstone. Why?”</p> -<p>“Because everybody else is on board already!” he -replied. “Sure you have the right flight number?”</p> -<p>“I certainly hope so!” Peggy said. “Please, may I -see your passenger list?”</p> -<p>“Sure. Help yourself.” He moved aside from the -desk to let her look.</p> -<p>At the top of the list stood the names of Mr. and -Mrs. Dean Andrews.</p> -<p>“This is the right flight, all right,” Peggy said. -“We’re waiting to see Mr. and Mrs. Andrews—and -they surely didn’t come on board!”</p> -<p>“Not when you were looking,” the man said with -a grin. “Sorry, kids, but you’ll have to collect your -autographs some other time. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews -were allowed to board before the other passengers, -just so they could avoid being noticed. It seems that -everybody wants Stacy Blair’s autograph, and she -had a headache or something. Tough luck!”</p> -<p>“We’re not autograph hunters,” Peggy said, “but -we have to see Mr. and Mrs. Andrews! Can we please -go on board? It’s very important!”</p> -<p>The man shook his head. “Sorry. It’s strictly against -the rules.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_145">145</div> -<p>“But—”</p> -<p>“You sure are a persistent girl,” he interrupted, “but -it’s not going to do you any good. Now why don’t you -just run along and chase some other movie star? Mrs. -Andrews asked to be left alone, and we’re going to -do everything we can to see that her wishes are—Hey!”</p> -<p>Realizing that further discussion would be useless, -Peggy decided that the time had come for direct -action. She simply ran through the gate and out on -to the field. Before the uniformed man could get -around the railing and start in pursuit, she had already -covered half the distance to the waiting jet.</p> -<p>“Stop!” She heard a shout behind her. Still running, -she turned her head in time to see Randy grab the -man by the sleeve to hold him back. Hoping that -Randy wouldn’t get into a fight or in any serious -trouble, she ran straight on and up the steps of the -boarding ramp where a stewardess with a startled -expression stood waiting for her.</p> -<p>Knowing what the answer would be to any explanations -she might make, Peggy simply dashed -past her, muttering, “Excuse me!” before the surprised -girl could stop her.</p> -<p>In the softly lighted cabin, all that Peggy could -see were the backs of heads. She knew that she must -find Mr. and Mrs. Andrews in a hurry, or she would -be put off the plane before she ever got a chance to -speak to them. There was no time to go quietly from -seat to seat looking for the familiar features of Paula’s -mother. Peggy drew a deep breath, looked once -around her, and shouted:</p> -<p>“Mr. Andrews! Mr. Andrews! Telegram!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_146">146</div> -<p>There was a sudden silence in the plane, then a -murmur as heads swiveled around and saw a young -girl standing in the aisle, nervously biting her lip. -Among the heads was the beautiful but worn and -strained face of Stacy Blair. Peggy ran down the -aisle, the stewardess close behind her.</p> -<p>“What’s the meaning of this?” Mr. Andrews began -angrily. “Who are you, and what do you—”</p> -<p>“Please!” Peggy interrupted, almost whispering. -“It’s about Paula!”</p> -<p>The airline stewardess reached them, grabbed -Peggy’s arm, and said, “I couldn’t stop her, Mr. -Andrews! I’m sorry, but—”</p> -<p>“Wait, please!” Paula’s mother said, as the stewardess -started to force Peggy away. The girl relaxed -her grip. The famous actress looked at Peggy and -said, “What about Paula?”</p> -<p>“She’s right here in New York,” Peggy whispered, -conscious of the surrounding passengers, whose attention -was riveted on the strange, dramatic scene. “I’m -her friend, and I came to stop you from going to -Europe. I’m sorry I caused such a fuss ... but they -didn’t want to let me on the plane, and—”</p> -<p>“Wait, please,” Mr. Andrews interrupted in a quiet -voice. “This is no place to talk.” He turned to his wife. -“Stacy, we’re not taking this plane. Don’t say a word -now. We’ll talk where it’s more private.”</p> -<p>Paula’s father instructed the baffled stewardess to -see to it that their luggage was removed, then shepherded -his wife and Peggy out of the plane, leaving -behind a cabin full of puzzled, buzzing passengers.</p> -<p>“Are ... are you sure about this?” Paula’s mother -said to her husband.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_147">147</div> -<p>“No,” he said calmly, “but we can’t leave here until -we are sure, one way or the other.”</p> -<p>At the passenger gate, they found Randy—uncomfortably -under the guard of two airport policemen. -The official who had tried to stop Peggy was sitting -on a stool with an angry expression and what looked -like the beginning of a classic black eye.</p> -<p>“This is my friend, Randy Brewster,” Peggy said. -“He drove me out here, and it looks as if he had to do -some fighting to see to it that I got on the plane.”</p> -<p>Randy grinned sheepishly. “Nice to meet you, Mr. -and Mrs. Andrews.”</p> -<p>Mr. Andrews smiled at Randy. To the policemen -he said, “Let him come along with us, please.”</p> -<p>“I dunno, Mr. Andrews,” one of the policemen said. -“I think Mr. Watkins here wants to hold him on an -assault charge.”</p> -<p>“I was just trying to protect you, Mrs. Andrews,” -the official said, “but if he is a friend of yours, as he -says he is, I suppose I ought to apologize instead of -pressing charges.”</p> -<p>“Yes, he’s a friend,” Mrs. Andrews said, adding -under her breath, “at least I think he is!”</p> -<p>“Well ... no charge, then,” the uncomfortable -Mr. Watkins said.</p> -<p>Randy was released and fell into step alongside -Peggy and Paula’s parents as they walked down the -corridor.</p> -<p>“This had better be on the up-and-up,” Mr. Andrews -said darkly, “or I’ll see to it that both of you -face a good deal more than a simple assault charge -as a result of it!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_148">148</div> -<p>He cut off Peggy’s protestations, saying that he -didn’t want to say one more word until they were -seated in privacy in the airport restaurant. The next -minutes until they reached their destination were -spent in uncomfortable silence.</p> -<p>Once seated, after introductions and assurances -that Paula was safe and well, Peggy recited the story -that had by now become as familiar to her as her lines -in the play. Carefully, omitting nothing, she explained -what Paula had tried to do, and how things had gone -wrong. She explained her own part in Paula’s life, -and how she had decided, on May Berriman’s advice, -to disregard her friend’s wishes and call her parents. -Then she told of her fast detective work in tracing -them to the hotel and the airport, and of the final -dash for the plane.</p> -<p>“So there was nothing I could do but stand there -and yell,” she concluded. “I’m sorry it caused such -a fuss, but I didn’t know how else to find you before -they put me off the plane. Anyway, that brings us to -here.”</p> -<p>“It’s quite a story,” Mr. Andrews said. “Both of us -are very grateful to you, Peggy, for the care you’ve -taken of Paula and for your concern about us. And -we’re grateful to you too, Randy,” he added.</p> -<p>“We are,” Paula’s mother echoed, a smile lighting -her face. “Now, my dear, will you please take us to -Paula?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_149">149</div> -<p>“I ... I was afraid you’d ask that,” Peggy said. -“I will, of course, if you really insist on it, but I wish -you’d think about it awhile first. Paula has gone -through so much—and put both of you through so -much, too—just to prove something to herself. If you -go to her now, her whole effort will have been wasted. -I think you ought to let her stay in obscurity for just -a few days longer until we open the show, and give -her the chance she wanted.”</p> -<p>“I understand your point of view, Peggy,” Paula’s -mother said, “but can’t you understand mine? All -I want is to see my daughter and be sure that she’s -safe and well!”</p> -<p>“Can’t you take my word for that, please?” Peggy -begged. “You’ve waited so long, what does it matter -if you wait another three days until opening night? If -you do that, then Paula will get the chance she wants, -and I won’t feel so miserable about having called you -when she asked me not to. I just want everybody—you -two and Paula—to be happy. Won’t you please -wait and give her a chance to prove to herself that -she’s as good as we all know she is?”</p> -<p>“Is she good?” her mother asked fervently.</p> -<p>“She’s wonderful!” Peggy and Randy said in chorus.</p> -<p>“I knew it! I knew it!” The famous actress beamed. -“I <i>knew</i> all those good reviews weren’t just because of -us....”</p> -<p>“Then you had your doubts too, didn’t you, Mrs. -Andrews?” Randy put in quickly.</p> -<p>“Why ... why, not really,” Paula’s mother -answered, taken aback. “But, still....”</p> -<p>“But still, even though you were sure Paula is a -good actress, you never knew for a fact that the critics -sincerely thought so too!” Randy said.</p> -<p>“In a way, I suppose you’re right,” Mrs. Andrews -said.</p> -<p>“Then you can understand Paula’s view?” Peggy -asked.</p> -<p>“Yes. I can understand.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_150">150</div> -<p>“Peggy,” Mr. Andrews said, “I’m willing to wait -a few days to see her, if you really think it’s best—and -if my wife agrees. But what harm would it do for -us to call her on the phone?”</p> -<p>“It would be the same thing,” Peggy said. “She’d -know that you’re in town, and she’d start to suspect -that you were doing things for her again. Besides, it -might throw her into such a state of excitement that -she wouldn’t do her best on opening night.”</p> -<p>“Perhaps you’re right,” Paula’s mother said -thoughtfully. “Nerves do get on edge close to opening, -and from what you tell me, I can’t imagine that -Paula’s are in the best of shape now.”</p> -<p>“Then you’ll wait?” Peggy asked.</p> -<p>“Yes, Peggy, I’ll wait. If only as a favor to you. -Heaven knows, we owe you a favor for all you’ve -done. Do you agree, dear?”</p> -<p>Mr. Andrews looked thoughtful. “All right,” he -said at length. “But we’re going to be at the opening! -We’ll sit in the back of the house so she won’t see us. -My wife will have to wear a veil or a false mustache -or something, but you can bet we’re going to be -there!”</p> -<p>“We’ll put you in the projection booth!” Randy -said. “You’ll have a perfect view, and nobody will see -you at all!”</p> -<p>“Fine,” Mr. Andrews agreed. “And what do you -want us to do until opening night? Shall we just hang -around New York, or shall we lie low somewhere?”</p> -<p>“It does sound like a conspiracy, doesn’t it?” Peggy -laughed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_151">151</div> -<p>“It is,” Paula’s mother said. “And Mr. Andrews has -a point. We two are considered to be—well—newsworthy, -you know. And while it’s not much of a story -just to leave for Europe, it would be considered a -story if the papers found out about our sudden cancellation -of the trip. If that gets into the papers, and -Paula sees it, she’ll know we’re in town, and she’ll -probably be more nervous than ever. Shouldn’t we -go somewhere?”</p> -<p>“We should,” Mr. Andrews said, getting up from -the table. “And before we waste any more time, I’d -better get hold of those policemen and that Mr. -Watkins and see that they don’t start talking to any -reporters about tonight.”</p> -<p>He returned somewhat later, looking pleased with -himself.</p> -<p>“Come on,” he said. “I’ve taken care of them, and -I’ve rented a car. We’re going to do something we’ve -both wanted to do for years, and haven’t had time -for. We’re taking a nice, leisurely sight-seeing trip by -car. We won’t come back till opening night, and then -we’ll go straight to the theater!”</p> -<p>Final plans were hurriedly made for the trip, and -for the timing of their arrival on opening night, as -Peggy and Randy walked Mr. and Mrs. Andrews to -their waiting car. Good nights and thanks were exchanged -once more.</p> -<p>By the time that Randy delivered Peggy to the -doorstep of the Gramercy Arms, the first light of -dawn was showing in the east. It was nearly five in -the morning. Through the kitchen windows at street -level, Peggy could see May Berriman, Amy, and -Greta, surrounded by coffee cups, doggedly waiting -up for her. It would still be awhile, she knew, before -she would get to bed.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_152">152</div> -<h2 id="c15"><span class="h2line1">XV</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Act One</span></h2> -<p><span class="sc">First Night!</span></p> -<p>A magic phrase and a magic moment to everyone -in show business! The glitter, the jitters, the excitement -of a first night are the same everywhere—for -the big new Broadway show, with its stars, its lavish -sets and costumes, its important audience in formal -dress, as well as for the smallest theater in the smallest -town in America. In high school and college auditoriums, -in summer tents and barns, in tiny converted -carriage-house theaters in the back streets of Greenwich -Village, the glamour comes as always, and with -it, the feverish excitement.</p> -<p>Last-minute problems suddenly arise, as suddenly -are solved. Something is wrong with the second row -of baby spots; they’re out of focus. Did someone move -the lighting bar? Fix it! An important door, vital to -certain entrances and exits, gets stuck. When you try -to pull it, the canvas wall in which it is set trembles. -Brace the canvas! Plane down the door jamb! Oil the -hinges and the door latch! Better? Fine!</p> -<p>“Where’s the ladder? How can I fix those spots....”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_153">153</div> -<p>“Who has some blue thread? This darned -blouse....”</p> -<p>“I’ll never make that costume change in time! We’ll -have to open the back and put in snaps, but there has -to be a dresser to help me or....”</p> -<p>“Who took the tennis racket from this prop table? -Come on! This is no time to fool around!”</p> -<p>“Where’s the ladder?”</p> -<p>“Mal, did you change the position of that sofa in -Act Three, or am I just imagining it? If you did....”</p> -<p>“Yes, I restaged it in last night’s rehearsal. I -thought it would....”</p> -<p>“Well, why didn’t you tell me? Now I have to relight -the whole scene! You directors think that all -you have to do is tell the actors! There are other people -who are important too....”</p> -<p>“Sorry. Really, I am. Must have slipped my mind.”</p> -<p>“Slipped your mind? Well!”</p> -<p>“Please! This is no time for a quarrel. Here, let -me show you....”</p> -<p>“Where’s that ladder? I have to have that ladder!”</p> -<p>“Who wanted blue thread? I found the sewing kit -on top of the switchboard!”</p> -<p>“What time is it?”</p> -<p>“One ladder, coming up!”</p> -<p>“I wanted blue thread—but this is the wrong color -blue. Do you think it will show from out front?”</p> -<p>“It’s seven o’clock!”</p> -<p>“Hold still, Peggy! I’m cutting the back open now, -and I don’t want to hurt you. Do you turn your back -to the audience at any time, or can I fake this hem, -do you think?”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_154">154</div> -<p>“Do I turn? Let me think ... No. You can fake -it. But it has to look all right in a profile, because I -cross a lot. Will I have a dresser right here?”</p> -<p>“I’ll be here, and we have a screen right by the -switchboard ... or we should have one. Joe! What -about that dressing screen off right?”</p> -<p>“As soon as you finish with that ladder, may I -please....”</p> -<p>“All right, Peggy. Take it off now, and I’ll sew it -up. Plenty of time!”</p> -<p>Peggy stepped behind the switchboard and slipped -off the blouse, which now came off like a smock. The -snaps in back would keep her from having to unbutton -the whole front and then having to button it -up again—a saving of at least a minute. And a minute -is a long time. She put on a lightweight bathrobe, -handed the blouse to the wardrobe mistress, and -stepped out into the confusion of the stage, to see -what was going on now.</p> -<p>On top of the tall extension ladder, Sam Marcus, -the electrician, was fixing the position of the three -end baby spots in order to light the sofa properly in -its new position. Below him, Joe Banks, chief stagehand, -was waiting impatiently to carry off the ladder -as soon as it was free. Amy, on her hands and knees -in front of the troublesome door, was tacking down -a hump that had suddenly appeared in the canvas -groundcloth, and which threatened to stop the door -from opening. As Peggy approached her, she looked -up and managed a grin, despite the fact that her -mouth was full of long carpet tacks.</p> -<p>“Why, Grandma, what big teeth you have!” Peggy -said, looking down at her friend.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_155">155</div> -<p>“Mmph!” Amy said. She pounded in two more -tacks, took the remaining few from between her lips, -and surveyed her handiwork. “Think that’ll do?” she -asked.</p> -<p>“It looks good to me,” Peggy replied. “Now let’s -see what’s going to go wrong next!”</p> -<p>“There isn’t much left to go wrong that hasn’t already -done so and been fixed at least twice.” Amy -laughed. “Now, if everything will just be kind enough -to hold together through tonight, I’ll be most grateful -to Fate.”</p> -<p>Randy suddenly appeared through the door, which -worked smoothly this time.</p> -<p>“I’m not worried about the costumes and sets holding -together,” he said, “as much as I am about the play -holding together. I suppose it’s just first-night jitters, -but I have the terrible feeling that the whole play -ought to be rewritten from beginning to end. But -Mal won’t let me change so much as one single word -now.”</p> -<p>“Randy! The play is beautiful,” Peggy said, “and -I don’t think there’s a word in it that should be -changed. Besides, you shouldn’t say things like that -out loud, even if you feel them. Some of the cast -might hear you, and they’re already nervous enough, -without having to worry about the quality of the -play.”</p> -<p>“I suppose you’re right,” Randy said moodily. “And -anyway, it’s too late. How are the actors holding up? -Are they really nervous? You look as cool as an orchid -on ice.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_156">156</div> -<p>“I’m not,” Peggy said, “but if I’m going to fool the -audience into thinking so, I have to start by fooling -myself. The rest of the gang seem all right, too, except -that their good-humored kidding around sounds -suspiciously on the edge of hysteria!”</p> -<p>“How’s our leading lady?” Randy asked cautiously. -“She looked a little strange when I saw her last, about -an hour ago.”</p> -<p>“I don’t know,” Peggy said slowly. “She seemed -... strange ... to me, too. She wasn’t nervous, -and she wasn’t kidding around with the rest of the -cast, and at the same time, she didn’t seem cool and -calm. She just looked sort of distant and detached. I -think she’s collecting her strength, in a way—preparing -herself to <i>be</i> Alison, rather than just to play her.”</p> -<p>“That’s the way it seemed to me,” Randy said. -“It’s as if she has written a sort of pre-play ... you -know, the action that takes place before the play -begins. She’s figured out what Alison’s frame of mind -must have been before she arrived at the resort, and -that’s the part she’s playing now.”</p> -<p>“That’s just what it is,” Amy said. “I know, because -I talked to her about it last night, and she told me -that the hardest part of acting for her was what she -had to imagine for herself before ever coming on -stage. I’ll bet by now she’s completely forgotten that -she’s Paula Andrews and an actress, and that nothing -is real for her but the character of Alison. That’s what -makes her so good.”</p> -<p>“She is good,” Randy agreed, “and she certainly is -Alison. I only hope she doesn’t completely convince -herself that she’s living this rather than playing it, -or she might start making up her own lines! And, at -that,” he added gloomily, “they’d probably be a lot -better than the ones I wrote.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_157">157</div> -<p>With a theatrical gesture of mock despair, he -backed through the doorway and gently shut the -door.</p> -<p>“Here, Peggy! Try this on now!” It was the wardrobe -mistress, back with the blouse.</p> -<p>“Amy! You’d better get changed and start to get -the ushers ready!”</p> -<p>“Where’s that ladder now! Why can’t I ever -find....”</p> -<p>“What time is it?”</p> -<p>“Try number four dimmer down and number three -up at the same time, and with your other hand....”</p> -<p>“Who has the ladder?”</p> -<p>“It’s seven-forty!”</p> -<p>“I only have two hands, you know!”</p> -<p>“Did somebody call for the ladder? Who wanted -that ladder?”</p> -<p>“No, no! Number four down and number three up, -not number three down and number four up!”</p> -<p>“What time did you say?”</p> -<p>“Did anybody see the first-aid kit? I cut my finger -on this gel frame.”</p> -<p>“Give me a hand with the ladder, will you? Just set -it right here, under....”</p> -<p>“Look out! Don’t bleed all over the sofa!”</p> -<p>“It’s seven-forty-five.”</p> -<p>“Ouch!”</p> -<p class="tb">With all the past weeks of preparation, Peggy -thought, you’d suppose that nothing at all would -have to be left till the last moment, but somehow, no -matter how well you planned, there was always -something left undone. Or something that had to be -redone. Less than an hour before curtain time, it -seemed as if <i>Come Closer</i> had not the least chance of -opening that night. But she knew that it would open, -and she was sure that it would go smoothly and well. -At least she hoped that she was sure.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_158">158</div> -<p>Peggy went down the circular iron stairway to the -dressing room she shared with Greta. It was time to -start putting her make-up on. Greta was already applying -the base, and the tiny room, no bigger than -a closet, was perfumed with the peculiar odor of -grease paint. Every inch of wall space except for the -mirrors was covered with clothing—their own and -their costumes—hanging from nails and hooks. A few -garments were even suspended from some of the -pipes that crisscrossed the low ceiling. The room was -so narrow that when Peggy sat at the dressing table, -the back of her chair was touching the wall behind -her. The dressing table itself, a rough board counter -covered with plastic shelving paper, was littered with -bottles, jars, tubes, powder boxes, puffs, make-up -brushes, eyebrow pencils, eye-liners, grease crayons, -hairbrushes, combs, sprays, hairpins and other odds -and ends.</p> -<p>Looking at the cramped, messy little room, Peggy -suddenly thought of a movie she had seen, where -several scenes took place in a star’s dressing room. -It was an enormous room, she remembered, with a -carved Victorian sofa and chairs grouped around -a little marble tea table. At one side of the room had -been an elaborate make-up table surmounted by a -gold-framed mirror. On it were a very few bottles and -jars. A pleated silk screen stood nearby, concealing an -immense closet which held row upon row of costumes. -Overhead was a crystal chandelier.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_159">159</div> -<p>Peggy laughed out loud when she thought of the -chandelier.</p> -<p>“What’s funny?” Greta asked.</p> -<p>“Oh, nothing,” Peggy said. “I was just thinking that -the best thing about being an actress is the glamorous -backstage life!”</p> -<p class="tb">“Five minutes!” called Dick Murphy, the stage -manager. “Everybody ready in there?”</p> -<p>“All ready!” Peggy and Greta sang out.</p> -<p>“Five minutes!” they heard him call at the next -door.</p> -<p>“Let’s go up,” Peggy said. “I’m dying to see what -kind of house we have!”</p> -<p>“Murphy doesn’t want us up until he calls for -places,” Greta said doubtfully.</p> -<p>“Oh, it doesn’t matter,” Peggy said. “We’re both -on within five minutes of curtain, and our places in -the wings aren’t in anybody’s way.”</p> -<p>“All right,” Greta agreed, knowing that she was as -eager as Peggy.</p> -<p>At the stage level, a few stagehands were making -last-minute adjustments. Mal stood to one side, -seemingly watching nothing at all. There was hardly -a sound, except for the chatter of the audience, muted -by the curtain that separated them from the stage. -The hundreds of voices of the audience merged into -a single sound, as the splashes of thousands of wavelets -in a single wave combine to become the murmur -of the sea. Peggy put her eye to the tiny peephole in -the curtain. Almost every seat was already filled, and -the ushers were leading a few last-minute arrivals -down the aisles.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_160">160</div> -<p>As she watched, the house lights began to dim, and -the floods came up brightly. An expectant hush came -over the audience. She felt a hand on her arm, and -turned to see Dick Murphy, looking comically stern. -He silently gestured with a nod of his head, to indicate -that it was time for her to leave the stage. She -took her place in the wings with the other waiting -actors. They were silent and outwardly calm, but she -could feel the tension in all of them.</p> -<p>A little behind them, seated on a suitcase that she -would carry in with her, was Paula, wearing an expression -that gave away nothing.</p> -<p>“Okay,” she heard Dick Murphy say. “Places!”</p> -<p>Alan Douglas and Betsy Crane stepped out onto -the empty stage and sat in two widely separated -lounge chairs. Alan spread his newspaper to read, -and Betsy began to knit.</p> -<p>“Curtain!” Murphy said.</p> -<p>And the play was on.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_161">161</div> -<h2 id="c16"><span class="h2line1">XVI</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">Act Two</span></h2> -<p>“I was awful! I just know I was awful!” Peggy -moaned. “I never felt so stiff and scared in my life! -I think I must have walked like a mechanical doll! -Oh, Greta!”</p> -<p>“You were fine,” Greta said. “I mean it. You know -I’m too good a friend to lie to you. You were as -natural as....”</p> -<p>“And I muffed two lines!” Peggy went on, as if she -hadn’t even heard Greta.</p> -<p>“What lines?”</p> -<p>“Didn’t you notice? Two of my lines came out all -wrong, and if Alan and Paula hadn’t picked them up -and gone on as if nothing had happened, I don’t -know what I would have done!”</p> -<p>“I never noticed,” Greta said. “And I guess that -means the audience didn’t either. And they seemed -to like it. That was one of the best first-act curtain -receptions I ever heard. If they like the rest of the -play as well, we’ve got a hit on our—”</p> -<p>“Don’t say it!” Peggy said. “It’s bad luck! Oh dear -... I don’t know how I’ll ever get through it!”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_162">162</div> -<p>“You’ll get through it beautifully,” Greta said, “the -same way you got through the first act.”</p> -<p>Reassured by Greta’s calm, businesslike manner, -Peggy pulled herself together with an almost visible -effort. “How much longer before we go on?” she -asked. “Amy said she’d come back between acts with -a report from out front. She should be here by now.”</p> -<p>“She is here,” Amy said from the doorway. “And -the report from out front is great. You were both -wonderful, and the play is perfect, and everybody -in the whole cast is grand!”</p> -<p>“Amy, I’m afraid that as a reporter, you’re a good -friend,” Greta said. “I’m glad you think it’s so good, -but what I want to know is how is the audience reacting? -What’s the intermission talk like?”</p> -<p>“I’ve just come back from the lounge,” Amy said, -“and I couldn’t ask for better talk! Everybody is -intrigued with the play, and they all seem to think -the production is a sure hit. And they’re wild about -Paula! I’ve never heard such talk in my life! Even the -man from the <i>Times</i> and the man from the <i>Post</i> were -smiling and talking about Paula!”</p> -<p>“I knew that Paula would make a hit,” Peggy said -warmly. “Isn’t she good?”</p> -<p>“She couldn’t be better,” Amy agreed. “I just hope -that she comes out of this between-the-acts trance -of hers when the play is over.”</p> -<p>“She’s still doing that?” Peggy asked, concerned.</p> -<p>“Good!” Greta said. “As long as she keeps it up, I -have a feeling that the play will go. Don’t worry about -it. It’s just an especially strong case of character -identification. She’ll be herself again when she reads -the reviews in the morning.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_163">163</div> -<p>The lights flickered on and off.</p> -<p>“Oh-oh!” Amy said. “I’d better get back out front. -See you between the acts again!” With a wave of her -hand she was gone.</p> -<p>“Let’s go, Greta,” Peggy said. “We’re on.”</p> -<p>Peggy felt calmer, somehow, in Act Two than she -had before. The first feelings of stage fright had left -her, and she fell into her lines with a practiced ease. -No longer worrying about the words or about the -stage directions, both of which had been so drilled -into her as to become second nature, she became -aware of the audience in a new and pleasant way.</p> -<p>The faceless crowd out front was suddenly transformed -for her into a large group of friendly people. -They were not hostile. They were warm and eager -to be pleased, interested in the play and the players. -For the first time, she felt a communication between -herself and them, and as she felt it, she realized that -she was acting better, playing the part as she had -never done in rehearsals. Her confidence grew, and -with it, her pleasure in her craft. Peggy was learning -how it really feels to be an actress.</p> -<p>The second act went smoothly and well. The cast -was sharp and alert; no cues were missed; no lines -were muffed. The timing was sharp and professional, -and remained so as the pace increased to build to the -shattering second-act curtain.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_164">164</div> -<p>Watching it from the wings, Peggy was entranced -with Paula and all the supporting cast. If she had -thought that this scene was already worked to perfection -in rehearsals, she had been mistaken. Now, in -the presence of the audience, a new life and vigor -suffused Paula, and a new note of urgency was felt. -At the climax of the scene, when Paula collapsed in -tears and the actors standing round her seemed almost -to flicker from one personality to the other, the -silence in the theater was electric.</p> -<p>The curtain descended and, a moment later, the -audience burst into thunderous applause. Peggy, limp -with excitement, watched in almost shocked surprise -as Paula rose from the stage. She had half expected -her to remain sobbing on the floor as she had done in -rehearsals, but now, when Paula stood up, Peggy saw -that her face was suffused with a smile of pure girlish -delight. She was good! The audience knew she was -good ... the cast knew she was good ... and—most -important—she now knew it herself. Radiantly, -she came to Peggy and said, in a quiet and controlled -voice, “I think we’re doing well, don’t you?”</p> -<p>Then both of them laughed aloud, knowing beyond -all shadow of a doubt that this was the understatement -of the evening.</p> -<p class="tb">A few minutes before the third act, Randy knocked -at the dressing-room door.</p> -<p>“Come in,” Peggy said. “We’re decent.”</p> -<p>“You’re more than decent,” Randy said with a grin, -“you’re marvelous! Both of you,” he added, with a -nod to Greta.</p> -<p>“Thank you,” Greta said. “And now, if I know anythink -about anything, I think I’d better leave you two -alone!”</p> -<p>“Greta!” Peggy said in confusion. “I don’t know -what you mean by....”</p> -<p>“You tell her, Randy,” Greta said, edging past him. -“But don’t take too long. We’re on in a few minutes.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_165">165</div> -<p>“She’s ... she’s just being silly,” Peggy said, -blushing.</p> -<p>“Is she?” Randy asked innocently. “I thought she -was making perfect sense!”</p> -<p>Peggy began carefully to inspect her make-up and -touch up her eyebrows.</p> -<p>“Don’t get so shy all of a sudden,” Randy said. -“Besides, I didn’t come here to ... well, I mean, -I had no intention....” He paused awkwardly. -“Anyway,” he finished, “at least not now, I didn’t. -I really came to tell you that I’ve been to see Paula’s -parents in the projection booth, and I’ve never seen -two happier people in my life. If they glowed any -more than they’re doing now, they’d throw the whole -lighting plan out of kilter!”</p> -<p>“Then they don’t mind having waited to see -Paula?” Peggy asked.</p> -<p>“Not at all. They feel sure now that you were right. -Mrs. Andrews said that she wouldn’t have done anything -that could have hurt Paula’s performance. And -what a performance!”</p> -<p>The lights flicked off and on, warning them that -curtain time was near.</p> -<p>“I’d better go,” Randy said. “I just wanted to tell -you I’d seen them, and also to tell you that we’re all -invited to a party they’re giving after the show. They -want to wait up for the first editions of the papers to -see what kind of reviews we get.”</p> -<p>“Will we get reviews in the first editions?” Peggy -asked. “I thought only the first-string critics did that, -for important show openings.”</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_166">166</div> -<p>“That’s right,” Randy said, helping Peggy up the -circular stair. “And we’ve got the first-string critics! -That’s the one piece of ‘interference’ that Mr. Andrews -indulged in. He called the newspaper reviewers -and told them that he had heard of the show, -and that it would be worth their while to cover it -themselves, instead of sending assistants the way they -do with so many off-Broadway openings. Apparently -a word from him is all it takes, because they’re all -out there ... and a lot of other important people, -too!”</p> -<p>“Oh dear!” said Peggy. “I wish you hadn’t told me! -It’s going to make the whole thing difficult all over -again!”</p> -<p>“Places!” Murphy called.</p> -<p>“So long!” Randy said, and left, but not before he -had quickly placed a kiss on the back of Peggy’s neck, -where it wouldn’t spoil her make-up.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_167">167</div> -<h2 id="c17"><span class="h2line1">XVII</span> -<br /><span class="h2line2">S.R.O.</span></h2> -<p>Peggy was writing a letter to Jean Wilson, her friend -back home in Rockport, Wisconsin. She was already -on the third page.</p> -<p class="tb">... so Paula’s parents agreed to stay out of -sight until after opening night. As you can see from -the clippings I’ve enclosed, the play went off wonderfully. -Every paper loved us—and the whole -audience, too. At the final curtain, they wouldn’t -let us off! We got curtain after curtain, and I -thought the applause would never stop for Paula. -She got seven solo curtain calls! (I shouldn’t brag, -but I got two myself.)</p> -<p>When Paula was handed an enormous bouquet -of roses somewhere along about the third or fourth -curtain call, and when she saw that the card on -them was from her mother and father, I thought -she was going to fly around the stage like Peter -Pan! She managed to keep her head, though, and -they kept out of sight in the projection booth until -all the critics and everybody else had left the theater. -They didn’t want Paula to think that their -presence had any effect on whatever it was the -critics were going to write.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_168">168</div> -<p>I don’t think it would have mattered, anyway. -When I saw Paula right after the final curtain, she -said that she had lost all her silly fears, and that -she didn’t even care about the reviews, because she -knew for herself what she was worth. I’m glad she -finally figured it out!</p> -<p>After it was all over, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews gave -a party for the cast—and you’ll never guess where! -It was at Sir Brian Alwyne’s house! It seems that -they’re old friends of Sir Brian—as I told you, he’s -really interested in the theater—and that explains -why Paula wouldn’t go there for the audition. Sir -Brian has known her since she was a child, and he -knew that she was supposed to be in Europe. When -she heard that the audition was to be at his home, -Paula just panicked. She didn’t know what to do, -so she ran.</p> -<p>Sir Brian was very charming to me at the party. -He said that although he was pleased that Paula -had played the lead, and although she had done a -magnificent job, he had been looking forward to -seeing me in the part. I thought it was very sweet -of him.</p> -<p>It was a wonderful party. We stayed up almost -all night, until the early editions of the papers -came out, and then we sat around reading the best -phrases out of each of the reviews, and repeating -them to each other endlessly.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_169">169</div> -<p>We owe a lot to Paula’s parents for getting the -top critics down to see us. And we also owe them a -lot for getting other people to come too. The play -has been running for a week now and we’ve actually -had to put up the S.R.O. sign (“standing room -only,” you know). Let me tell you about a few of -the good things that have happened.</p> -<p>First, Paula. After the opening, she got two -major movie studio contract offers again, and right -now she’s in the process of deciding which one to -take. She has all the confidence in the world—as -well as all the talent—and she has definitely decided -to go into the movies. But she has told both -the studios that she won’t be available until the -play is over, because she wants to play out the entire -run at the Penthouse Theater. It’s darned nice -of her, because we have no run-of-play contract -with anybody in the cast. Still, looking at it honestly, -and in as practical a light as I can, I guess she -does owe us something. But not as much as we owe -her for being as good as she was! (And is.)</p> -<p>Next, Randy. One of the biggest Broadway producers -(I’m not allowed to say who) has bought -an option on Randy’s next play. That means that, -if he likes it, he’ll produce it in a Broadway theater! -Not only that, but he wants Mal to direct it, because -he says that Mal is a wonderful director, and -has an obvious sympathy and understanding for -Randy’s work. Just think, Jean, my friends may be -the new celebrities of the theater world!</p> -<p>Then there’s Greta. She’s been offered a leading -role in the national company of <i>Moonbeam</i>, which -is the biggest hit on Broadway today. They start -on tour in two months, so we’re going to have to -find a replacement for her. I’ll miss her, but it’s a -wonderful break, and she’d be wrong to turn it -down.</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_170">170</div> -<p>Some of the other cast members have done well, -too, but I don’t want to bore you with a lot of details -about people you don’t know, and don’t really -care about. It’s enough to say that we all feel that -we’ve hit a jackpot.</p> -<p>Finally, there’s me. I don’t have any real offers -yet, or anything like that, but I did get some really -good notices—you’ll see when you read them—and -two producers have sent me nice notes asking -me to come to see them when I have time. But I did -get one very important thing out of it already. I -have an agent!</p> -<p>That may not sound like much, but the good -agents won’t even talk to a beginning actress. I -have been signed by N.A.R. (National Artists’ -Representatives) and they’re nearly the biggest in -the business! Randy says that being signed by -them is almost a guarantee of steady work, so I -guess I can really start to call myself an actress -now! It’s a good thing, too, because school is coming -to an end, and unless I want to go back to -Rockport and college, I’m going to have to keep -acting and making a living at it.</p> -<p>Don’t misunderstand me, Jean. I have nothing -against college. In fact, I really miss it sometimes, -the same way I miss you and a few of my other -good friends. But it just isn’t acting, and for me, -nothing will ever be as good as being on stage!</p> -<div class="pb" id="Page_171">171</div> -<p>I wish you could come to New York next week -with Mother and Dad when they come to see the -play, but I know how busy you are with school. -If we’re still running by summer, will you make the -trip?</p> -<p>But of course we’ll still be running by summer!</p> -<p>We’ve got a hit! And we know it! and there’s -nothing better than that!</p> -<p><span class="jr">More next time, from</span> -<span class="jr"><span class="sc">Peggy</span></span></p> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/endpaper.jpg" alt="Endpapers" width="500" height="383" /> -</div> -<hr /> -<div class="img"> -<img src="images/back.jpg" alt="Back cover" width="500" height="402" /> -</div> -<h2 id="c18"><span class="h2line1">PEGGY PLAYS OFF-BROADWAY</span></h2> -<p>In the second book of a thrilling new series for girls, -Peggy Lane, aspiring young actress, takes her first important -step up the ladder of success. She lands a small -part in Randy Brewster’s experimental play <i>Come Closer</i>—a -part she secretly suspects Randy wrote especially -for her.</p> -<p>Unknowns all, the cast is headed by lovely Paula Andrews, -an inspiration on stage but something of a problem -otherwise. Hits don’t just happen for an experimental -group. They are created out of hardships and disappointments. -The show’s production is threatened with financial -difficulties, and everyone’s hopes now depend on the -special presentation they are to give for a prospective -backer. When Paula, at the last minute, backs out, Mal -Seton, the director, blows up. Peggy, he says, can have -the part.</p> -<p>Peggy, knowing she is not yet ready for a leading role, -proposes a radical solution. Then, trying to help Paula, -who appears tense and troubled, Peggy inadvertently discovers -a mystery that cannot be unraveled until Peggy -herself resolves a dilemma!</p> -<h3 id="c19"><i>Peggy Lane Theater Stories</i></h3> -<p class="center"><span class="sc">Peggy Finds the Theater</span> -<br /><span class="sc">Peggy Plays Off-Broadway</span> -<br /><span class="sc">Peggy Goes Straw Hat</span> -<br /><span class="sc">Peggy on the Road</span></p> -<h2>Transcriber’s Notes</h2> -<ul> -<li>Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.</li> -<li>In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)</li> -<li>Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.</li> -</ul> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Peggy Plays Off-Broadway, by Virginia Hughes - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PEGGY PLAYS OFF-BROADWAY *** - -***** This file should be named 55815-h.htm or 55815-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/8/1/55815/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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