"The airs he gives himself," Stephen said harshly. "You'd think he was President of the United States at least!"

The preview started. Starr watched the picture in a dull, listless way. What she had imagined would be one of the most exciting mornings of her life was proving the most miserable. And as she watched she was forced to the conclusion that in some ways the picture wasn't as good as many other ones Stephen had directed. Rex wasn't so good, either. In some of the scenes his manner, usually so natural, seemed curiously strained. And occasionally in a scene he seemed dead. As though all the spontaneity had been taken out of his acting. The words of those electricians rushed back to her: "Yes... he doesn't seem able to do a thing right.

And he's not the sort of actor who improves under such treatment. He's always at his best the first time a shot's taken."

Were they right? Had Stephen, without meaning to, managed to flatten Rex's interpretation of the part? And yet she was convinced Stephen had only tried to do his duty. Rex must know that. But had he, because of it, refused to act under Stephen's direction in the coming picture?

She was brought out of these reflections with a start. There she was. A queer and uncanny sensation watchiing herself move and speak on the screen for the first time. She couldn't tell whether she was good or not. She wished Stephen would say something; something to rea.s.sure her. But he sat glum and silent. She had a feeling he wasn't watching the screen at all.

An excited hum of conversation followed the final fadeout. The lights were switched on, and people gathered in eager groups, chatting. She moved down with Stephen into their midst.

"May as well hear the worst and get it over," he said with a forced laugh.As she was about to pa.s.s into the vestibule, she felt a hand on her arm. She turned with a start to find herself face to face with Albert Hammond, the "big boss" at the West East Studios.

"I want to congratulate you, Miss Thayle," he said. I think we've a real find in you." He smiled and pa.s.sed on.

Starr was left pink in the face, and so excited she could have jumped to the ceiling with pure unrestrained joy. Such praise from the great Al, as he was familiarly called, was praise indeed!

To have him notice you at all usually meant that your feet were securely planted on the first rung of the ladder to fame. She looked around eagerly for Stephen to tell him about it, but there was no sign of him. She was about to move into the main body of the theater when a tall familiar figure planted itself between her and the doorway.

"Well, well, so the child has been noticed by the great Al himself," his mocking voice laughed down at her. "Didn't I predict you were destined for movie laurels, my dear?"

"And I told you I didn't intend to have a film career," she returned tartly.

"Ladies have been known to change their minds, child. I've an idea something may happen in the near future that. may persuade you." His blue*gray eyes twinkled down at her.

"I'm perfectly sure nothing will happen to make me change my mind."

"Dear, dear!" He clicked his tongue mockingly. "How very determined we are this morning!

And rather disgruntled, if I'm not much mistaken. Didn't our breakfast agree with us?"

"Did you refuse to act in the new picture, Lovable Rake, if Stephen directed it?" she asked abruptly.

The smile faded from his face. His blue*gray eyes were stern, and a little cold, suddenly.

Leisurely he selected a cigarette and tapped it against his silver case. "Do you want the truth or polite evasion, my dear Starr?"

"I want the truth."

He lit the cigarette. "You've no right to demand it, but I'll tell you." He smiled slightly and added, "You won't like me very much afterwards, but, of course, you'll still be in love with me."

"If you insist upon talking nonsense..." she choked indignantly.

He laughed. "Your anger, as ever, gives you away. But you want to know about Stephen?

Well... I don't think he gave me a square deal in that last picture. I was d.a.m.n bad, and you know it." He grinned ruefully and added, "So do all the critics, worse luck! And tomorrow, through them, the whole world will know it. I can't afford that to happen more than once, can I? I'd lose my public. I'd lose my contract. And what is all*important, I'd lose my pay cheek."

"So you did refuse to act in it if Stephen directed it?"

"Not exactly. I merely intimated I thought I might be happier working under another director.

That last experience was rather painful, my dear."

"But Stephen was only doing his duty," Starr said sharply.

"Of course. But the fact remains I was rotten. Everything I did seemed to irritate him, and he, in turn, succeeded in irritating me. And it's rather hard to give your best to a picture under those conditions."

"I suppose it is," she agreed reluctantly.

Later that day she tried to explain it tactfully to Stephen."d.a.m.n nonsense," he said. "I was the same as I've always been. No, it was just a mean stunt on his part to try and queer me with the West East concern."

She was silent. If Stephen insisted upon taking that view of it, there was nothing more to be said. Presently she remembered she hadn't told him yet what the great Al had said to her.

"That's swell, Starr. But" * he put an arm about her shoulders and drew her towards him *

"don't let it turn your head, will you, darling?"

"You think I'm conceited enough already," she laughed back at him.

"No... but you know how I feel about your continuing with a screen career. You know how dead set I am against it."

"Yes, I know, Stephen," she said quickly. All the same there was a disappointed note in her voice.

"Listen, darling, I've good news for you," he whispered. "I saw my lawyer today, and he a.s.sured me the divorce would be through in a few months now. Then we can be married. We might take a trip to England, eh, sweetheart? I'm not at all sure I mayn't find a better opening for my talents over there."

"But I thought American pictures meant so much to you, Stephen?" she said quickly. "You used to a.s.sure me that nothing would induce you to leave Hollywood."

He shrugged. "Oh, well, if you find your own country doesn't appreciate you, you can't be blamed for going over to the enemy, can you?"

She didn't reply. But she couldn't help thinking how strange it was to hear such a statement from Stephen's lips. With a queer sense of pain she remembered his talk in the old days. How confident and enthusiastic he had been. She could only suppose that what had happened at the directors' meeting today had hurt him badly. And that had been Rex Brandon's fault. Not content with first trying to rob Stephen of his wife, he was now trying to rob him of his career.

Her indignation against Rex mounted.

Next morning she was startled out of her sleep by the telephone bell. She glanced at her watch. Eight*thirty. She jumped out of bed, threw on a wrapper, patted across the apartment room in her black satin mules, and picked up the receiver.

"Is that you, Miss Thayle? Mr. Albert Hammond's secretary speaking," said a girl in a quiet voice. "Mr. Hammond has just phoned from his house to say that he'd like to see you at ten at the studios this morning if you can make it."

If she could make it! Starr felt that if Al Hammond had wanted to see her at the North Pole at ten o'clock she could have made it! She was in such a whirl of excitement as she dressed that her fingers were all thumbs; she put on one stocking inside out twice and finally left with odd gloves in her hand. What could Al Hammond's hasty summons mean? It might mean anything * or nothing. Yet did men as important as Al send for girls if there was nothing to it? She thought of the wildest, absurdest possibilities. He had said he liked her work. Was he going to offer her another and a better part? She was almost at the studio before she remembered about her promise to Stephen. Suddenly she felt so dejected she could have wept. All her glamorous dreams faded like a soap bubble. She had half a mind to turn back and phone through that she couldn't make the appointment. But sheer curiosity prevented her. After all, there could be no harm in finding out what he wanted.The studios were a hive of activity. They had been since seven*thirty that morning, when the entire cast of every picture being shot that day had a.s.sembled to start making up.

Starr was sent to Al's private office and told to wait for him.

"Better take this magazine and look over it, dear," his secretary advised kindly. "They've been having trouble with set No. 2, where they're shooting that musical show Snowflakes. He mayn't show up for hours yet."

But, contrary to expectations, the great Al returned on the stroke of ten.

He was a small square man with a face like a cartoon of itself. He had nervous jerky movements, and at one side of his large mouth was a perpetual cigar. He even wore his hat, a dusty felt, indoors and when ladies were present. Yet you felt this was no sign of disrespect.

It's doubtful if he realized it was there.

"How do, Miss Thayle," he said. "Come into my private office."

With the actual appearance of Al Hammond, Starr's excitement had risen again. She could scarcely bear the suspense of waiting. She even begrudged the time it took to walk into his private office.

He seated himself behind a large mahogany desk, thrust a sheaf of unsigned letters aside, threw his cigar out of the window and lighted another, coughed and said: "Nice little bit you did in that picture, Gentleman Pirate, Miss Thayle. Think you're going to like acting for the films, eh?"

"I did enjoy it, Mr. Hammond," Starr said breathlessly. "But I don't think..."

But whatever she thought, the great Al showed he had no wish to listen to. He silenced her with a wave of a large square hand that seemed out of all proportion to his size. "Listen, young lady." He leaned forward confidentially. "What we want are new stars. Female stars. What the public craves is someone new and exciting. We want a fresh star we can plant on them as the biggest find yet. Now I was having dinner with a pal last night, and between us we got an idea.

You're the idea. Do you follow me?"

Of course she didn't. She didn't dare to, in case she might be wrong. She wanted to say to him, "Go on, but pinch me first. Pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming."

"Listen, young lady," he said again, and he leaned forward even more confidentially. "We've decided to elevate you to stardom in one fell swoop. This very day I'm going to get my publicity people onto you, and tomorrow you'll wake up to find yourself famous! It won't be difficult. We'll spread a lot of blah about how swell you were in Gentleman Pirate. Of course you'll have to live up to the part. It's no easy matter to be a star, believe me. When you're not actually working on the set, you'll have to spend your time between the ma.s.seurs and the dressmaker. Between the hairdresser and the voice trainer. You'll have to live on a strict diet and never go to bed later than ten*thirty. Is that understood?"

Starr nodded. She couldn't speak. She was too excited to speak. Her promise to Stephen was forgotten entirely.

"We've decided that you're to play opposite Rex Brandon in his new picture, Lovable Rake,"

he said.

"What?" Starr had found her voice at last. "Play opposite Rex Brandon?"

"Sure. You're lucky to get the chance. We're going to put all we've got into it.""But," * Starr wet her lips with her tongue, they were so dry * "I couldn't do that."

He spat out his half*smoked cigar and reached for another.

"No need to be nervous. You'll be all right. Rex carries the lion's share of the picture."

"But * but I can't play opposite him," Starr insisted in a queer, high*pitched voice.

Al Hammond raised his head and stared at her. "And why the h.e.l.l can't you?"

Starr could think of any number of reasons. Stephen would think it terribly unloyal of her even to contemplate playing opposite the man he hated so much. Besides, she had promised him not to go on with a film career. And how could she co*star with Rex? The thought terrified her. Because she disliked him so much? Or * queer how the thought shook her * was she afraid to?

"Did Rex suggest I play opposite him, Mr. Hammond?" she heard herself asking.

He nodded. "Sure, he suggested it. Last night when we were having dinner together. In fact," he chuckled fatly, "he was very insistent about it. Said no other leading lady would suit him. You're a very lucky girl, my dear."

Starr didn't say anything for a. long minute. All the color had drained from her face. "I see,"

she said quietly. "In that case I can't possibly accept your kind offer, Mr. Hammond." She rose to her feet. "I do appreciate it, though. Good*morning."

"What?" His mouth gaped open. The cigar almost fell to the floor. "You don't mean to say that you're turning it down?"

Starr smiled slightly. But there was something tired about her smile.

"I'm afraid I am, Mr. Hammond. And now I won't take up any more of your time."

The great Al stared after her as though he had just seen the world's tenth wonder. And he thought he had. A girl who would turn down the chance of becoming a star. He hadn't believed such a being existed!

18

Stephen congratulated her on her decision over lunch that day.

"It wasn't a genuine offer, anyhow," he told her. "At least, it wasn't produced by any talent you may or may not have. Just another stunt of Rex's to get back at me. It's obvious. He got me kicked out of directing the picture, and now he's trying to get you away from me by asking you to co*star with him. Imagined you couldn't resist the temptation of playing opposite him, I guess. Thinks he's so darned attractive any girl would jump at it! Thank G.o.d, you didn't lose your head. But I bet he's feeling darned mad now." And he chuckled happily.

Yes, Starr supposed that was why Rex had got the great Al to make her that staggering offer.

All the same it hurt to know that. The longer Stephen talked the more depressed she became.

Finally she said sharply, "Oh, for heaven's sake stop talking about it, Stephen. I don't want to think about it any more!"

That afternoon she had a caller. She was about to make herself some tea when the knock came. She opened the door, and there stood Rex, leaning against the framework, his feet crossed, smiling down at her.

"May I come in? Only this time I'll let you make me the tea. Do you remember the time you were in bed and I made tea for you?"

"Yes, and it was so strong I could scarcely choke it down!" And she laughed. And felt curiously happy. Happier than she had felt for weeks.

He came inside and sat on the edge of a table, swinging one leg. His light gray felt hat rested precariously on his knee. She stood, looking at him, her hands flat on her hips.

"Well, and why am I honored by this visit from the great Rex Brandon?"

He grinned back impudently. "The great Rex Brandon wants to know why you behaved like a d.a.m.n little fool this morning."

"Oh!" She flushed scarlet. She wished she didn't flush so easily. She supposed it was her red hair.

"Yes, you behaved like a raving lunatic," he went on forcefully. "Chucking away a chance like that! Instead of listening to you, old Al should have put you across his knees and spanked you. That's what you deserved, young woman. Thank heavens I've managed to persuade him that your refusal was caused by sheer fright and you didn't mean it."

She was angry now. Really angry.

"Why should you take it upon yourself to tell him I didn't mean it?" she asked icily.He shrugged, "Someone had to! But I must say it was ungrateful of you after I'd put in all that good spadework on your behalf last night. Don't be a little idiot, Starr. It's a marvelous opportunity. I've read the script through, and I'm sure you'll make a hit in the part. The heroine's rather like you, as it happens. Quick*tempered, impulsive, rather a little fool." He grinned crookedly and added, "But a dear little fool!"

"Thanks for that!" Starr snapped back at him.

"Not at all." He bowed mockingly. "I can think of even nicer things to say when encouraged."

She wondered why they couldn't talk together for five minutes without starting to fight.

"Why did you suggest I play opposite you in that picture?" she flung at him challengingly.

He shifted his position slightly on the table and smiled down at her maddeningly. "I'll give you three guesses."

"To get back at Stephen. Because you know he wouldn't want me to co*star with you."