Marion Marlowe's Triumph, or, In Spite of Her Enemies — page 16: what you’re looking at

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14 CHAPTER VII. MARION MAKES ANOTHER ENEMY. The moment Ed Gordon saw who it was in the room he turned upon his heel and walked swiitly away, leaving Mr. Temple to do as he pleased in the matter. He was mortified and hurt, as well as as- tonished. c Ned Hale and Miss Marlowe in the dress- ing-room with the door locked—the thing was almost incredible for a moment. Then, as he reached his own dressing-room and slammed the door behind him a sneer crossed his handsome face, making it almost repulsive. “Pshaw!” he muttered, aloud; “she is like all the rest of them, in. spite of her pretty face | pure and sweet she was, and then to find her ' locked in a dressing-room with that common, low fellow!” He was fuming with chagrin over his own position in the matter, but there was an un- dercurrent of disappointment that hurt hin cruelly. | : Since the previous night he had reached the point where he almost worshipped Miss Marlowe. She had lifted him to new . heights which he had never dreamed of, only to cast him down into the deepest humiliation. But while he was fuming with rage in his own dressing-room, a very different scene was being enacted in Vera’s. Marion Marlowe’s face was flushed with armoyance when she opened the door, and this was, probably, what made Gordon fancy she looked guilty. To add to her discomfiture, Ned Hale brushed past her without a word, but with a wink at the manager that might have meant anything, but which certainly did not serve to explain matters honestly. Mr. Temple caught the wink, and a smile stole over his face, but in an instant he was speaking politely to M arion. “T am very sorry, indeed, that we intruded, Mr. Gordon-and I, but Ed was so anxious that I should meet you, and Miss Villette told. us that she had left you in her dressing-room, [am sure you will forgive me and allow me to introduce myself. My name 1s Henry To think that I had told Temple how. MY QUEEN. f - \ : e a : : Temple, and I am the manager of the com- pany.” He bowed low to Marion and seemed most respectful in his manner, but the young girl was still indignant that she should be so mis- * finderstood by him. | | “T am glad to meet you, Mr. Temple,” she said, quickly, ‘‘and | assure you | am greatly _ annoyed at what has happened. Miss Vil- — lette left me here, as she said, but she forgot to tell me that 1 was to have company, and ~ when the workman came in to fix the pipes he carelessly sprang the lock behind him. It — was an embarrassing position, but I am sure you will understand it. A lady does not often stoop to flirting with the gas man!” “But that wasn't———” began Mr. Temple, and then stopped short. It had suddenly oc- curred to him what the whole affair meant, — and he had also discovered that the girl was innocent. ‘ on “Don’t think of it again, Miss Marlowe,” he said, quickly. ‘Mr. Gordon was an idiot to bolt as he did, but he is naturally jealous, and he possibly did not look at the fellow.” an “Mr.-Gordon has no reason to be jealous of ~~ me,” said Marion, haughtily. “We are fel- low boarders, but no more, I can assure you, | Mr. Temple.” | “But he wishes to be more,” said the man- ager, laughing. “He wants you to be his ~ fellow-worker as well—in fact, will you kindly listen to his proposition, Miss Mar- lowe?” : The girl’s beautiful eyes flew open in sur- prise. They were both standing in the door of the dressing-room, and there was no one to overhear them. | : “There is a vacancy in the cast,” said Mr. Temple, talking rapidly. “Miss Lemadrid’s understudy has left us, and we want another. That was what Mr. Gordon brought me here to talk to you about, Miss Marlowe.” “Is it possible that you mean to offer me the position?” asked Marion, breathlessly. “Why, I have never acted a part in my lifel I am only a singer,” “Then you have been on the stage?” asked | the manager, quickly, “T was with the ‘Temple Opera Company one week last winter,” said Marion, shortly. : EGomiGbooks.co ‘ ~ i