But the girl who had returned a hundred dollars to him when she had only twenty more in all the world was no more capable of accepting such an offer than of requesting it.
Besides, no sooner had it been rumored that Eris Odell and Albert Smull no longer coöperated, than telegrams began to pour in from all sorts of people, responsible and irresponsible. Offers arrived from keen, clever, capable and ruthless producers, with releases guaranteed, and who wished to fetter her for years at the lowest figure; from enthusiastic people new in the game, with capital guaranteed but no release. Scores of communications came from various birds of prey who infest the fringes of the profession—the “don’t-do-anything-till-you-hear-from-me” boys; the noisy, persistent Gentile who lies for a living and whose only asset is the people he traps; the Jew, penniless and discredited, determined to make a commission out of anybody and undeterred by the dirt of the transaction.
All of these communications Eris laid before Frank Donnell.
Theirs was a close and sober friendship,—sombre even, at times—because Frank Donnell had been in love with her since her first awkward step in the Betsy Blythe company. The girl knew it; both knew, also, that the matter was hopeless.
And for Frank Donnell, Eris was conscious of a gravely tender affection she never had felt for anybody else in her brief life.
He had saved enough money to finance one picture for her; and he could have secured guarantees from the best of the releasing companies on his own name alone. But, again, it was one of those things that Eris could not do. It was desirable; it was legitimate business. But to use the resources of any man to whom she had given any intimate fragment of herself was not possible for Eris.
And, although Frank Donnell never had said one word of love to the girl; and she always had ignored a fact that from the beginning had been touchingly plain to her; there never could be any speculative combination between them. It was her way.
But, following his advice, an arrangement had been made possible for one year between her and a great producing company. And of this proposed contract she informed Annan.
Together they consulted Annan’s attorney, Judge Wilmer; and the first steps, in her suit for annulment of that unconsummated farce of marriage, were taken.
Eris had not thought of going away that summer, although her contract did not call her to report for duty until October.