Part 18 (1/2)

Her hand groped out behind her, found the table-cloth and began to scratch it agitatedly She lifted her head She was the actress, i, and Edward Henry felt her power Then she intoned:

”Brightness falls fro and fair; Dust hath closed Helen's eye”

And she ceased and sat down There was a silence

”_Bra_ vo!” murmured Carlo Trent

”Bra_vo_!” ht Mr Seven Sachs's unalterable observant smile across the table

”Well, Mr Machin?” said Carlo Trent

Edward Henry had felt a tremor at the vibrations of Rose Euclid's voice But the words she uttered had set up no clear iht be of so woar Road, Bursley, on a dusty day, and getting the dust in her eyes He knew not what to answer

”Is that all there is of it?” he asked at length

Carlo Trent said:

”It's fro lines of the verse are:

'I am sick, I must die-- Lord, have , ”I rather like the end I think the end's very appropriate”

Mr Seven Sachs choked over his wine, and kept on choking

III

Mr Marrier was the first to recover froe of poetry Or perhaps it would be more honest to say that Mr Marrier had suffered no inconvenience froleeful zest in life had not been impaired He was a born optimist, of an extreme type unknown beyond the circumferences of theatrical circles

”I _say_,” he eraphed like that Do you no end of good” He glanced encouragingly at Rose Euclid ”Don't you see it in the illustrated papers? A prayvate supper-party at Wilkins's Hotel Miss Ra-ose Euclid reciting verse at a discussion of the plans for her new theatre in Piccadilly Circus The figures, reading froht, are, Mr

Seven Sachs, the famous actor-author, Miss Rose Euclid, Mr Carlo Trent, the celebrated dramatic poet, Mr Alderman Machin, the well-known Midlands capitalist, and so on!” Mr Marrier repeated, ”and so on”

”It's a notion,” said Rose Euclid, drearaphed?” Carlo Trent demanded with irritation

”Perfectly easy”

”Now?”

”In ten rapher in Brook Street”

”Would he come at once?” Carlo Trent frowned at his watch

”Rather!” Mr Marrier gaily soothed hiht, boyish face radiated forth the assurance that nothing in all his existence had more completely filled hiraph of the party Even in giving the photographer's nuies who reloat upon his project