“But o’ course she gets paid for huggin’ him, too.”
The anxious escort bent forward to look into his companion’s face. He caught a glimpse of Bret’s eyes and wondered how that maniac came there. He sank back alarmed just as Bret realized that, however unendurable such comment was, he could not resent it while his wife belonged to the public; he could only resolve to take her out of the pillory.
But his Gehenna was not ended yet, for he must hear more from the woman.
“Well, o’ course, Mr. Jeggle, if you’re goin’ to fall for an actress as easy as that, you’re not the man I should of thought you was. But that’s men all over. An actress gets ’em every time.
“I could of went on the stage myself. Ma always said I got temper’munt to beat the band. But she said if I ever disgraced her so far as to show my face before the footlights I need never come home. I’d find the door closed against me.
“And my gempmum friend at that time says if I done so he’d beat me with a rollin’-pin. The way he come to use such words was he was travelin’ for a bakery-supply house—he was kind of rough in his talk—nice, though—and eyes!—umm! Well, him and I quarreled. I found he had two other wives on his route and I refused to see him again—that’s his ring there now. He was a wicked devil, but he did draw the line at actresses. He married often, but he drew the line: and he says no actress should ever be a wife of his.
“And he had it right. No sane man ain’t goin’ to leave his wife layin’ round loose in the arms of any handsome actor, not if he’s a real man. If she’ll kiss him like that in public—well, I say no more. Not that I blame a poor actress for goin’ wrong. I never believe in being merciless to the fallen. It’s the fault of the stage. The stage is a nawful immor’l place, Mr. Jeggle. The way I get it is this: if a girl’s not ummotional she’s got no right on the stage. If she is ummotional she’s got no chance to stay good on the stage. Do you see what I mean?”
Mr. Jeggle said he saw what she meant and he forbore to praise Sheila further. He changed the perilous subject hastily and lowered his voice.
Bret, on a gridiron of intolerable humiliation, could hear now the dicta of the elbow-woman.
“I fancy the young men in Chicago are quite safe from that Kemble gull this season. She must be hopelessly infatuated with that actor. And no wonder. If she doesn’t keep him close to hah, though, he’ll play havoc with every gull in town. He’s quite too beautiful—quite!”