“Animals!” cried Frederick von Kammacher.  He felt mortally ashamed.  Never, it seemed to him, in his whole life had he so degraded himself.

XI

A few moments later there was a knock at the door, and a man in a long overcoat and brown kid gloves, carrying a silk hat in his fat hand entered.

“Excuse me,” he said, “I presume this is Miss Hahlstroem?”

“Yes.  I am Miss Hahlstroem.”

“My name is Lilienfeld—­manager of the Cosmopolitan Theatre.”  He handed Frederick his card, which announced that he was also manager of a variety theatre and impresario in general.  “I obtained your address from Mr. Stoss, the armless marksman, you know.  I heard you had had some unpleasantness with Webster and Forster, and I said to myself, I must go and call on the daughter of a good old friend of mine.  I knew both your father and mother.”  Mr. Lilienfeld, in tactfully subdued tones, wound up his rather lengthy address with delicate expressions of sympathy and his personal sorrow at Hahlstroem’s death.

Ingigerd being helpless as a child in business matters, Frederick had taken it upon himself to represent her, and he used the pause in the impresario’s speech to put in a word.  The man’s personality was by no means displeasing to him, and his presence for several reasons was highly welcome.

“Owing to the state of her health, Miss Hahlstroem was unable until now to appear in public.  I as her physician am responsible for her refusal to dance, but Webster and Forster used such rough methods of coercion both through intermediaries and through the mail that Miss Hahlstroem of her own accord decided in no circumstances to dance under their management.”

“Never!” explained Ingigerd.  “Absolutely never.”

“Besides,” Frederick continued, “their terms are miserable.  We have received letters offering three and four times as much.”

“Exactly what was to be expected,” declared Lilienfeld.  “Pardon me if I give you a bit of advice.  In the first place, be perfectly easy in your mind about Webster and Forster’s attempts to intimidate you.  For various reasons the contract with Mr. Hahlstroem is legally invalid.  It so happens that I have pretty accurate information regarding the terms of the divorce between your father and mother.  They themselves told me, and what is more, my brother was counsel for your father.  Your mother was made your legal guardian.  Your father had no right to make a contract for you.  You ran away.  You went with your father because you were devoted to him body and soul and the relation between you and your mother may not have been quite so pleasant.  I do not hesitate to say you acted wisely, very wisely.  Your father’s training has made a great artist of you.”

“Thank you,” Ingigerd laughed, at the mere memory of her training involuntarily protesting against her artistic education.  “For hours at a time, while he sat in a chair comfortably smoking his meerschaum, I had to dance for him without a stitch of clothing on and perform all sorts of contortions and acrobatic feats on a rug.  In the afternoon he would play the piano and I would have to go through the same thing all over again.”