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Rh “I want to more than I ever wanted anything in my life.”

“Well, well!” he said, in surprise at her earnestness.

“I want you to send for him, give him the commission, and never mention me.”

“Why not?”

“I do not want him to know that I had anything to do with it.”

“He doesn’t know you wrote the book?”

“No.”

“And you’re married to him, you say?”

She nodded.

“Upon my word, you’re a queer pair! Are you Francesca, and is he the musician of the story?”

“Well, they are based on us, rather.”

He laughed.

“Dear, kind Mr. Frohman, will you do this?”

“I told the fellow to try his hand at a comedy. He might handle this, if we could hold him down. Awful preacher, isn’t he?”

“He’s young,” she answered patronizingly. The manager covered a smile.

“Won’t he recognize himself and you in the book?”

“I think not. He’s so unobserving, and he does not suspect me at all. He’ll never know.”