Ten pounds a week! It was as much as she and Bram had ever earned together, and a good deal more than they had earned sometimes. It would be madness to refuse. Besides, work was necessary if she was not to break down under this anxiety. Yet Letizia was very young to be acting.
“What time would my little girl be finished?” she asked.
“Ah, you’re thinking of her bedtime. Well, of course, she would be late. In fact, her scene in the last act is the crux of the whole play. But surely she could lie down every afternoon? We shall only have one matinée in the week.”
“You are tempting me, Mr. Plimmer. And yet I don’t really think I ought to let my little girl act. Couldn’t you engage me at five pounds a week without Letizia?”
The actor shook his head.
“Candidly, that would be a bit awkward, Miss O’Finn. The fact is that I have already half promised your part elsewhere, and if it were not for your little girl I should not care to break my word.”
“But I wouldn’t like to keep another girl out of the part,” said Nancy quickly.
“That is being quixotic—unnecessarily quixotic; and quixotic, dear lady, rhymes with idiotic. No, the other lady would perfectly understand my point of view in doing anything within reason to obtain the services of a good child actress in a play where so much, everything, in fact—depends on that child actress. I understand from Mrs. Pottage that you have been out of an engagement for some time, Miss O’Finn, and you will pardon me if I say that I judged from your lodgings that you are perhaps not in too healthy a financial condition. I am willing if you accept the engagement for your daughter and yourself to pay you half-salary until we open at Leeds. Come, I think I have shown how really anxious I am to have your little daughter.”
“I’ll let you know to-night,” Nancy began.
“No, no, don’t wait till to-night. Say ‘yes’ now. Come, give me your purse and I’ll put your first week’s salary inside and post you the contract to-night.”