"You do not mean to act any more?"
"No."
There suddenly recurred to him Mr. Melton's significant smile; and dead silence fell upon him. If there could be anything in the notion that the Count——
Clearly, it was no business of his whether she married the Count or no. Nay, if it were possible that her marriage with the Count should blot out certain memories, he ought to have been rejoiced at it. And yet a great dread fell upon him when he thought of this thing; and he felt as though the trusting little hand which was laid upon his arm had no business there, and was an alien touch.
"But," he said, in rather an embarrassed way, "if you have given up the theatre, it must have been for some reason——"
"For the reason that I could not bear it a moment longer."
"And now——"
"Now I am free."
"Yes, of course, free; but still—what do you propose to do?"
"I don't know yet. I have been looking at some advertisements——"