“Good.” Chuck smiled. “And Peggy will resume Evelyn tomorrow night.”
Everyone turned to look thoughtfully at Peggy, only now realizing that if she hadn’t missed the show, the talent scout would have seen her, maybe “discovered” her, instead of Alison. Their expressions were easy to read. Curiosity, pity, and a slight feeling of guilt at their obvious approval of Alison’s performance. Peggy bravely accepted their glances and smiled back at Alison. “I hope you do get the part, Alison,” she said gravely. “Be sure to let us know.”
Peggy couldn’t wait to get back to the annex and be by herself for a while. The reaction was just beginning to set in. If she had to stay another minute, she felt, she would break into tears. Hastily excusing herself with a promise to recount her adventure the next day, she started to leave.
But Rita stopped her at the stage door. “Don’t let it bother you too much, Peggy,” she said gently. “These things happen all the time. It’s just rotten luck for you. The only time we’ve had a talent scout all summer, and you had to have an accident!”
“It doesn’t matter, Rita,” Peggy said with difficulty. She didn’t want to talk another minute.
“But it does—I mean Alison’s lying like that....”
“But she wasn’t lying,” Peggy protested.
“Well, it amounts to the same thing, withholding the fact that she’d played the part before—that wasn’t very honest. I just thought you ought to know that everyone feels the same way about that. It wasn’t very ethical.”
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” Peggy pleaded, and Rita, understanding that she wanted to be alone, gave her a comforting pat and let her go.
Once in the privacy of her tiny bedroom, Peggy finally broke down and wept. It was rotten luck, she admitted to herself. The one chance she’d had all summer, and she’d missed it. Why did Mr. Mitchell have to pick this particular night to come?