“He wouldn’t give me the part. Hateful old goat! He even refused to allow me to demonstrate how well I could read the lines! And he said some very insulting things to me.”
“That is too bad,” returned Penny sympathetically. “What will you do now? Go back home?”
“I don’t know,” the woman replied in despair. “I would stay if I thought I could change Mr. Balantine’s opinion. Do you think I could?”
“I shouldn’t advise it myself. Of course, I don’t know anything about Mr. Balantine.”
“He’s very temperamental. Perhaps if I kept bothering him he would finally give me a chance.”
“Well, it might be worth trying,” Penny said doubtfully. “But I think if I were you I would return home.”
“All of my friends will laugh at me. They thought it was foolish to come out here as it was. I can’t go back. I am inclined to move down to this hotel so I’ll be able to keep in touch with Mr. Balantine with less difficulty.”
“It’s a very nice looking hotel,” commented Penny. “Expensive, I’ve been told.”
“In the show business one must keep up appearances at all cost,” replied Miss Miller. “I believe I’ll inquire about the rates.”
While Penny waited, the actress crossed over to the desk and talked with a clerk. In a small office close by, Ralph Fergus and Harvey Maxwell could be seen in consultation. They were poring over a ledger, apparently checking business accounts.