Page:O'Higgins--From the life.djvu/223

 simply. "Thank you." But the look and the clasp of the hand that went with it were secretly in the manner of a death-bed farewell.

Not merely haste and darkness made me stumble going down the stairs.

I took as long as I could at the telephone, and had the car filled at the garage, and dawdled returning. Even so I had to wait ten minutes before the light in his room went out and I knew that they had parted.

I could imagine what the parting had been when I saw him stagger down the steps with his suit- case. And I was sorry enough for him. But I had to pretend to be optimistic or betray her confidence. "Now, boy," I said, "get in, back there, and make up your mind to leave this trouble behind you till you've landed the part and landed it big." He dropped the bag and sank into the seat, exhausted. "There's room to lie down on the floor, if you want to sleep. You can put back that foot-rail." He muttered something feebly and shook his head. I threw in the gas. And Conrad Norman started toward his unbelievable success.

He did not arrive in my care. I got him the part in the play with no effort whatever. He seemed ideal for it. He began to rehearse. And after watching him for a few morn-