"Been back an hour and hard at work already. He sent me to fetch you. They're all up on the stage trying to get the locust effect."
"The locusts! Wait a minute, Alston! I'll change my gown."
She hurried out of the room.
"Well, old chap, what's up? You don't look too pleased," said Alston to Claude as the door shut. "Don't you want to come out? But we must put our backs into this, you know. The fight's on, and a bully big fight it is. Seen the papers to-day?"
"No. I haven't had a minute. I've been going through the orchestration with Meroni."
"What does he say?"
"He was very nice," answered Claude evasively. "But what's in the papers?"
"A bit of news that's made Crayford bristle like a scrubbing brush. The Metropolitan's changed the date for the production of Sennier's new opera, put it forward by nearly a fortnight, pledged themselves to be ready by the first of March."
"Well, I like that! It takes all the wind out of our sails. In a big race the getting off is half the battle. We were coming first. But if I know anything of Crayford we shall come first even now. It's all Madame Sennier. She's mad against Crayford and the opera and you, and she's specially mad against Mrs. Charmian. The papers to-night are full of a lot of nonsense about the libretto."