She was tickling the heads of two
enormous, sleepy monsters. But it
was not at them that Darrett looked,
but at Mademoiselle Viviane.
He had pictured a dainty, petite
little woman. He had reflected that
the guilty job be had undertaken must
alwavs be a burden upon hia con
cienc* Ho could j^riiy bring him-
'j^ip^jf*^*^ -ipf#f~:
self to go through even a moc* orr^
mony, even for another week of Lor
na's cempany. But now these
thoughts were utterly dispelled.
Mademoiselle Vivianu was stout,
double-chinned, and fifty. She had an
adiposity of tissue which made her
bow of recognition a flop. Her hands,
which rested on the lions' heads, were
rolls of flesh in which a few obscure
diamonds and rubies were twinkling,
like plums in a pudding.
"Are you on?" asked the manager.
"How much?" gasped Darrett.
"Five a night and no notice."
"I'm on," said Darrett feebly.
The manager smiled and nodded to
the lion-tameress, who opened the
door with a click that was terribly
sudden.
"Come in and meet the Uons, boys,"
said the manager, dragging the half
swooning professor after him.
Three hours later Darrett sat be
side Mademoiselle Viviane, waiting
for the opening of the show. The
three lions, looking very much bored,
crouohed at her feet. Mademoiselle
Viviane, who had taken a liking to
Darrett, chatted vivaciously.
"Of course it's only a game," she
said. "One does a lot of things when
one needs the money, even if one
doesn't like doing them. But I often
wish it was real." Here she sighed
and looked sidewise at Darrett.
"I beg your pardon?" stammered
the young man.
"Getting married," said Made
moiselle Viviane. "Since my fourth
husband died I have been so lonely.
