She studied the tips of her boots, stretching boyish limbs straight in front of her, then smoothing the soft folds of her skirt.

“Talk money to me, Mr. Man!” she exclaimed.  “Talk the shekels, the golden shekels.”

“We’re broke,” he protested.  “A thousand—­”

She shook her head.

Werner broke in, suddenly anxious.  “Don’t pass up the chance, Enid,” he pleaded.  “What can Pentangle do for you?  And I’ve always wanted to direct you again—­”

“I’ll make it twelve hundred,” Manton interrupted, “if you’ll make the contract personally with me.  Then if Manton Pictures—­”

“All right!” She jumped to her feet, extending a hand straight forward to each, the right to Manton, the left to Werner.  “You’re on!”

I thought that I was forgotten.  A wave of jealousy swept over me.  After all, she simply wanted me to write her up.  In a daze I heard Manton.

“You’re a wise little girl, Enid,” he told her.  “Play the game right with me and you’ll climb high.  The sky’s the limit, now.  I’ll make you—­make you big!”

With a full, warm smile she swung around to me and I knew I was not being slighted, after all.

“That’s what Longfellow said, isn’t it, Mr. Jameson?”

“What?” My heart began to beat like a trip hammer.

“Excelsior!  Excelsior!  It packs them in!”

She laughed so infectiously that we all joined in.  Then Manton turned to Kennedy.

“I’ve located Millard for you.  He’s to meet us at my apartment at seven.  It’s six-thirty now.  And you, Enid”—­facing her—­“if you’ll come, too, there’s another man I want you to meet, and Larry, of course, will be there—­”

Enid studied Kennedy.  He was hesitating as though not sure whether to accompany Manton or not.  I never did learn what other course of action had occurred to him.

But I did notice that the little star, with her pert, upturned face, seemed more anxious to have Kennedy go along than she was to meet the mysterious individual mentioned without name by Manton.  For an instant she was on the point of addressing him, flippantly, no doubt.  Then, I think she was rather awed at Craig’s reputation.

All at once she shrugged her shoulders and turned to me, plucking my sleeve, her expression brightening irresistibly.  “You’ll come, too”—­dimpling—­“Jamie!”

VIII

LAWRENCE MILLARD

It struck me on the trip to Manton’s apartment that the film people were wholly unfeeling, were even uninterested in the death of Stella Lamar except where it interfered with their business arrangements.  Werner excused himself and did not accompany us, on the score of the complete realignment of production necessary to place Enid in Stella’s part.  It seemed to me that he felt a certain relish in the problem, that he was almost glad of the circumstances which brought Enid to him.  His last words to Manton were, to be sure to have Millard recast the action of the scenes wherever possible, so as to give Enid the better chance to display her own personality.