Page:Zangwill-King of schnorrers.djvu/272

258 258 THE PRINCIPAL BOY.

scolded child. She drew his head down lower and kissed him — passionately — on the lips. " Let us wait a little," she said, as he spoke of sending for a hansom. " Sloman, the lessee, gives a little supper on the stage after the show — he'll be annoyed if I don't stay. He'll he delighted to have you."

The pantomime had gone better than anyone had ex- pected. It had been insufficiently rehearsed, and though everybody had said " it'll be all right at night " — in the immemorial phrase of the profession — they had said it more automatically than confidently. Consequently every- one was in high feather, and agreeably surprised at the accuracy of the prophesying. Even Georgie Spanner ceased to scowl under the genial influences of success and Sloman's very decent champagne. The air was full of laughter and gaiety, and everybody (except the clown) cracked jokes. The leading ladies made themselves pleasant, and did not swear. Everybody seemed to have acquired a new respect for Lucy, seeing her with such a real Belgravian swell. Probably she would soon have a theatre of her own.

It was the Prig's first excursion into Bohemia, and he thought the natives very civil-spoken, naive, and cordial. Frank had no doubt now that Lucy was right, that he was a Prig to want to redeem mankind. And the conviction that he lacked worldly wisdom was sealed for aye.

V.

So he married her.