Annie leaped quickly forward, and she replied:
"It's my question—and as you say, I've asked it fifty times."
The lawyer sat back in his chair and looked at her for a moment without speaking. He surveyed her critically from head to foot, and then, as if satisfied with his examination, said:
"You're going on the stage?"
She nodded.
"I've had a very big offer."
The judge leaned forward, and in a low voice, so that no one in the outer office might hear, he said:
"Well, I'll give you twice as much if you refuse the engagement."
She laughed ironically.
"You mean that my father-in-law will give it," she said lightly. Then she went on: