Regaining control of her flustered thoughts, Joan found Quard eyeing her with odd intentness.
"Friend of yours?" he demanded with a sneer and a backward jerk of his head.
"Yes—the husband of a friend of mine," she replied quickly.
The actor digested this information grimly. "Swell friends you've got, all right!" he commented, not without a touch of envy. "Now I begin to understand.... What's Marbridge going to do for you?"
"Do for me? Mr. Marbridge? Why, nothing," she answered blankly, in a breath. "I don't know what you mean."
"That's all right then. But take a friendly tip, and give him the office the minute he begins to talk about influencing managers to star you. I've heard about that guy, and he's a rotten proposition—grab it from me. He's Arlington's silent partner—and you know what kind of a rep. Arlington's got."
"No, I don't," Joan challenged him sharply. "What's more, I don't care. Anyway, I don't see what Arlington's reputation's got to do with my being a friend of Marbridge's wife."
"No more do I," grumbled Quard—"not if Marbridge believes you are."