He slipped into the adjoining dressing room and made his way out by a side door. No one saw him leave the room, but on the stairs he encountered Collie Cates, the comedian.
Cates was minus his make-up.
"Where are you going?" asked Sargent.
"'Sh!" warned Cates. "I'm going to do the trick."
"What trick?"
"Attach the box office."
Sargent caught his breath.
"No?" he softly cried. "Is it worth while?"
"Sure thing! They've got a pretty good house up there. I heard your growl with Merriwell, and I made up my mind to jump."
"See here, Cates, let me in on this. We may be able to raise enough dust to get out of here and strike some place where there's a show for us. Perhaps we can make a team and do turns at the variety houses. What do you say? You can dance, and I can sing. Is it a go?"