“What on earth are you doing here?” he asked, frowning a little as if he had only just realized where they were.
Peggy had planned the answer. “Why, I was having a little difficulty with my part this week,” she said easily, “and I thought I’d take a look at the movie to see how it was done.” From the balcony, the sound of the closing music of the film swelled around them, followed by the martial strains of music for the news-reel.
“You missed the end,” Bill Slade observed, looking at her closely.
“Oh, that doesn’t matter.” Peggy was slightly flustered. “I’m not in the end, anyway. I’m just playing the maid.” She hoped it sounded logical.
Bill laughed. “No wonder you were having trouble,” he said. “That’s miscasting if I ever heard of it!”
“Oh, no, it isn’t.” Peggy smiled back. “You just come to see the play and you’ll see what a good character actress I can be!”
Again she noticed that sad expression come into his eyes, but then he brightened and said, “Miss Peggy Lane, why don’t we do something utterly insane and go out for some lemonade or something together? Do you have time?”
Peggy glowed. This invitation was exactly what she had hoped for! “I’d love to,” she agreed happily.
Bill Slade walked with her back to the drugstore and they took one of the little booths in the rear, well away from curious eyes. In the middle of the afternoon there were few people in the store, and they could speak freely without being overheard.
“I wish you would come up to the theater just once,” Peggy implored. “I think you’d enjoy seeing a play for a change.”