"Who is the greatest leading woman on the American stage?"
"Louise Harlan!" chanted every voice on the floor, their tones mingling merrily, as if they were playing a familiar game.
"Right-o," sang Dick, and chanted next: "Who is the greatest leading man on the American stage?"
"Billie Stanley!" chorused the voices, with shrieks of laughter.
"And who," inquired Dick, with an insinuating change in his voice, "who is the greatest juvenile man in America?"
"Rich-a-r-r-r-d Bordwell!" screamed the magpies.
"Right-o-right!" echoed Dick, with a grunt of immense satisfaction; and then he went on piping his interrogatories, as to the rest of the company, desiring to be informed who was the greatest character old man, character old lady, soubrette, light comedian and stage manager, concluding yet more loudly with:
"And who is the greatest amateur heavy on the American stage?"
As if they had been waiting for it, the voices burst out like a college yell:
"John Hampstead! John Hampstead, is the greatest amateur heavy on the American stage!"