Her eyes fastened, dilating, upon his. The scene faltered perceptibly
In the hush Max cried impatiently: "What the devil!" The words broke the spell of amazement upon the actress. In a twinkling the pitiful counterfeit of the shop-girl was rent and torn away; it hung only in shreds and tatters upon an individuality wholly strange to Whitaker: a larger, stronger woman seemed to have started out of the mask.
She turned, calling imperatively into the wings: "Ring down!"
Followed a pause of dumb amazement. In all the house, during the space of thirty pulse-beats, no one moved. Then Max rapped out an oath and slipped like quicksilver from the box.
Simultaneously the woman's foot stamped an echo from the boards.
"Ring down!" she cried. "Do you hear? Ring down!"
With a rush the curtain descended as pandemonium broke out on both sides of it.