Grace Rudd was on the stage; she had been acting in provincial theatres under the name of Miss Danvers, and was now waiting for a promised engagement at a minor London theatre.
'Do you often go to the theatre ?' he added carelessly.

'I have a great many acquaintances connected with the stage in one way or another.

If you would like, I should be very glad to send you tickets now and then.
I always have more given me than I can well use.' Clara thanked him rather coldly, and said that she was very seldom free in the evening.

Thereupon Mr.Scawthorne again smiled, raised his hat, and departed.
Possibly he had some consciousness of the effect of his words, but it needed a subtler insight, a finer imagination than his, to interpret the pale, beautiful, harassed face which studiously avoided looking towards him as he paused before stepping out on to the pavement.

The rest of the evening, the hours of night that followed, passed for Clara in bet tumult of heart and brain.