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Portion I.
1. MichaelGosselyn’soffice wasfurnishedin goodtaste.Everyone whocamethere realizedatonce thatitwas anofficeof themanagerof afirstclass theatre.Thewalls hadbeenpanelledand onthemhung engravingsof theatricalpicturesbyZoffanyanddeWilde.Thecarved furniturewassolid. Onlyaspecialist couldguessthat itwasnot therealChippendale.
Everybody knewthatMichael wasverythrifty andranthe theatreonbusiness-like lines.Thedecorator hadtoaccept theclient’sterms andmadethe mostofwhat hehad.The roomwasdesigned tomakeanimpressionof prosperityatthe leastpossibleexpense.
Michael wasextremely proud ofhisoffice andJulia, whosaw throughhim, couldn’thelp smilingatthe complacencyonhis face.
2. Juliarealizedwhat atreatit wouldbefor ayoungaccountant tohavebreakfast atherplace, she wasjustnot sureifit wouldbeproper toinvitehim. Juliagavehim adoubtfullook. Hisconfusionwas sotouching, heblushed scarlet.Itwas clearthatthe sightofthe famousactresstook hisbreathaway. Headmiredhersofrankly thatJuliacouldn’t butfeelflattered. Hisattitudemade herfeellarger thanlife-size, madeher thegreatestactress. Andagreat actressmustbegenerous.It’s generositythatdistinguishes agreatactress. Juliathoughtthat shecouldmake anexceptionfor him. Theyoung manwasinvited.
3.JimmieLangtonwasrunning arepertorytheatre atMiddlepool.He wasatalented director.Atfirst sightitseemed strangethatactors agreedtowork inhistheatre. Heworkedhis casthard.He screamedatthem, he bulliedthem, heunderpaid them, hemockedthem anddrovethem likeslaves.
He hadsucha passionforthe theatre, thattheactors felt thatthey couldn’taffordtolethim down.Itgave themasort ofsatisfactionto complywithhis outrageousdemandsto pleasehim.
Jimmie hadwantedto beanactor himself, buthisphysique practicallypreventedhim fromgoingon thestage.He wasfat, bald-headedand looked like one ofRubens’prosperous burghers.Besides, hewas abadactor.
4. Juliawasa bornactressand shehadno doubtthatshe wouldgoon thestage.Her careerwassingularly lackingin hardship.
Her firstteacherwas anoldFrench actress, whotaughther allnecessarythings : how towalkand howtohold herselfonthe stage, howtoarticulate distinctlyandhow touseher senseoftiming, which Juliahadby instinct.Shewas quick-studied.
A certainnumberof tricksthatJulia hadlearnedfrom her, laterturnedto beoutof dateandJulia hadtoget ridofthem. Shehadto acquireamore conversationalstyleto beableto actinmodern plays.Butshe alwaysthoughtof JaneTaitboutwith gratitude.
5. Michael’sfatherwas aColonel.Neither henorMichael’s motherapprovedof theideaofMichael’sgoing onthestage. Thoughtheyhad tosubmitto that, theyinsistedthat Michaelshouldbe educatedlikea gentleman.OldMr. Gosselynwas apensioner, butstill, he managedtosendMichaelto Cambridgeanddreamt thatMichaelwould excelthere.
Michael wasproudof hisancestry.He worethesignet ringwiththe familystamp—aboar’s head—and aLatinmotto : “Nemomeimpunelacessit”.Onthe whole, hewasn’ta snob, buthewas shockedtolearn thatJulia’sfather wasavet.
6. Michaelwasdetermined togointo managementandmake acareer.He thoughtthatthere wasonlyone wayofbecoming well-off—that istobe one’sownmaster.
They couldstarton theminimumof fivethousand pounds. Hehadno ideahowtoraisea sumlikethat. Hecouldhardly expecttoborrow moneyashe didn’tknowanyone whocouldlend himthatsum. However, Michaelhopedthat an oldrich ladywouldsupport him.
Michael knewthatone couldn’thopeto makeasuccess inLondon, unlesshe wasunknown.One hadgotto knowtheropes. Ifonemade agoodreputation inLondon, itwould beeasierto findbackers.
Portion II.
1. ThoughMichaeltold Juliaalot abouthisfamily, she wasn’tawarethat theyknewabout herexistence.That iswhyshe couldn’tbutbe surprisedtoreceive aletterfrom Michael’smotherwhoinvitedher toCheltenhamfor HolyWeek.The prospectofspending awholeweek withMichaelwas enchanting.Ittook herbreath away tothinkof itandshe lookforwardto theholidays.
It didn’ttakeher longtodiscover thatMichaelhad brought herdown toCheltenhamfor hisparentsto inspecther.The thoughtflashedthrough hermindthat therewasonly onepossiblereason forit.When shethoughtofit, herheartleaped.
2.Michaelwas anxiousforJulia tomakea goodimpressionon hisparents.Julia realizedsoonthat shewouldbe ableto enchant them.Asa matteroffact, she wasawarethat shewasable toenchantanybody. Itwasclear thatMichael’sparents werenotfond oftheidea thattheirson wasgoingto marryanactress. Juliainstinctivelyfelt thatshehad toconcealthe actressandplay thepartof amodestingenious girl.
Michael’s motherwashappy to learnthat Juliawasn’tmade-up orloud.No onewoulddream thatJuliawas onthestage. Besides, shewashead overearsin lovewithher sonandit flatteredhermotherly pride.
Julia gaveaperfect performanceofthe villagemaiden.
3. Michaelhadaffection and admirationfor Julia, hefeltat easewithher. Buthetook herlovefor grantedandit wasobviousthat hewasn’tin lovewithher. Itwasno gooddeceivingherself.
At firstthismade Juliaunhappy.Now andthenshe lostcontrolof herselfandmade himfranticscenes.
But thenshebegan todoubtif hewascapable oflovinganybody. It didn’tseem worthwhile to sufferfromit. SoonJuliawas contenttolove Michaelwhereashe allowed herto lovehim.
4. WhenJuliafound outthatan Americanmanagerhad offeredMichaela part, herheartsank. Shehadto exerciseallher self-controlto pretend thatshewas asexcitedas hewas. But whenJuliaremained alone, shelostcontrol ofherselfand began to cry inearnest.
In AmericaMichaelwas going tosave everycenthe could, so, intwoyears he expectedtohave thebestpart offourthousand pounds.
5. WhenJuliarealized thatshehad fallenoutof lovewithMichael, shefellinto despair.Shefelt thatshe had lostsomethingthat wasinfinitelyprecious toher.Her heartsank.She wasdisplayed.She wasinclinedto cry, becauseherfortune hadfailedher.
But whenshehad thoughtitover, her griefmadea way torelief. Nowshewas herownmistress andnota slaveofher love.Nowshe lookedatMichael notwiththe eyesofa womaninlove butwithshrewd penetratingeyes.Yes, it wasgreatto befreeand shewouldbe abletomake themostof herfreedom.
Portion III.
1. Assoonas thewarended Michaelbeganto workasan actorandsoon gainedareputation inLondon.
He sparednoeffort toforcemanagers topayhim thesalary he thoughthewas worth,butif hecouldn’tget it, hewasprepared totakeless.
He stillthoughtof goingintomanagement, butthough theyhadsaved seventhousandpounds, the sumwasinadequate.
Mrs. deVriescameto theirrescue.She agreedtoput upmoneyand becometheirpartner.
2. Astimewent on, Michaeltookto directing.He still actedoccasionally,but lessfrequentlythan earlier.When he said hewas goingtodirect theirnextplay, Julia wasdoubtful.She suspected thatnothing goodwouldcome ofit.Michael hadnofantasy andhisideas were commonplace.But he made a much better job ofit, thanJulia expected.Ashe knewperfectlywell whatJuliawas capable,hewas able toget moreoutofherthan anyotherdirector.
With thecasthe wasfriendly, butexacting. Whentempersgrew frayed, hisgoodhumour, his realkindnesssmoothed thingsover.
3. Michael’scomplacencyexasperated Julia.Hebeamed withpleasurewhen hemanagedto beatanopponent atgolfor getthebetter ofsomeonein abusinessdeal.
Besides, he wasacrashing bore.Heliked totellJulia everythinghedid andeveryscheme thatpassedthrough hismind.It hadbeencharming tolistento Michael, whenshewas headoverears inlovewith him, butaftershe hadfallenout oflovewith him, Juliahadto exerciseallher tactnotto showhimhe wasboredto death.
More over, hewasoutrageously vainofhis appearance.Asa youth, hehadtaken hisbeautyfor granted, butwithadvancing years, hebeganto paymoreattention toitand sparednopains tokeepwhat wasleftof it.Itbecame anobsession.
4.EviewasJulia’s maidanddresser. Shehadbeen inJulia’semployment foralong time.Eviewas acockney.One couldgetit atonceby listeningtoher speech.Shewas thin, angularandher redhairalways lookedasif itneededwashing. Twoofher frontteethwere missing. Nomatterhow hardJuliatried toprovideher withnewones, all hereffortswere invain.
Michael thoughtthatEvie’sappearance wasn’tsuitableto theirpositionand triedtopersuade Juliatohave anothermaid.But Juliapaidno attentiontohis dissatisfaction.Shewas contenttohaveEvieasher maidanddresser, she onlywantedEvieto breakherselfof thehabitof sniffingallthe time.Eviewas askilfulmaid, she hadneverlet Juliadown.She hadthecourage tosayto Julia’sfacewhat shethoughtof her.Itamused Juliagreatly.
Portion IV.
1. Juliahada lotofacquaintances amongaristocrats.As shewassuch afamousactress, they mademuchof herandwent outoftheir waytobe nicetoher. Shecouldboast ofthefact thatshecould callsomeduchesses bytheirfirst names.
The papersoftenput pictureswhereJulia wasphotographedat week-endpartiesamong anumberof aristocraticpersons.It wasgoodpublicity. Butatthe bottomofher heart, Juliahadaprofoundcontempt forthegreat ladiesandnoble lords, becausetheylived inidlenessand shewasan artist.Whenshe hadachance, she wasgladtoputthem intheirplace. Shelaughedat thesesmartwomen uphersleeve, becausethey weredazzledby herglamourand hadnoidea ofhowunromantic thelifeof asuccessfulactress wasandthe hardworkit entailed.
2. CharlesTamerleywas Julia’sbestfriend. Hehadsuch exquisitemanners, thatone couldseeat once, howwell-bredhe was.Hewas anamateurof theartsand well-read.Beforemeeting Charles, Juliahadbeen completelyignorant.He tookherto museums, imparted informationtoher. Juliahada goodmemoryand soonshecould passfora culturedwomanas shewasable totalkabout literatureandart. Juliacouldn’thelp butbeconscious ofhowmuch sheowedto him.Yet, hislove ofartfilled herwithafaintderision. Afterall, shewasacreator andhewas onlyaspectator.
3. JuliatookCharles fancytwentyyears agoandhe hadbeenmadly inlovewith hereversince. Whenfinallyhe pluckedupthe couragetomake adeclarationof love, Juliagotinto hisheadthat therewasnothing doing.Exercisingall hertact, Juliamanaged toconvinceCharles thattheyshould remainfriends.Charles washeradviser, her confidant.Shecould count uponhim comingtoher rescueinany case.Henever letherdown.
4. Juliarealizedthat Tomcouldhardly affordtoentertain herandshe wastakenby hisdesireto pleaseher.
He saidhehad forgottentoput hiswatchon becausehehad dressedina hurry.Butone lookathim wasenoughto realizethathe hadtakena lotoftrouble tolooksmart.
When itdawnedon herthathe musthavepawned hiswatchto takeherout tosupper, shewas inclinedtocry. Shemighthave offeredtopay thebill, butchecked herselfintime. Itwasout ofthequestion. Itwouldhave hurthispride.
Portion V.
1. WhenJuliarealized thatshehad falleninlove withTom, shewas shocked.Shewas determinedtokeep herhead.She couldn’taffordto openhertrue feelingsbecauseshe knewverywell thatTomwasn’t inlovewith her.Shehadtoadmit thatanaffair withherflattered Tom’svanity.
Julia didherbest tomakeit plaintohim thatshelaid noclaimson himandhe wasfreetodowhatever hewanted.She pretendedthatshe wasagood actress.Shepromised toherselfthat shewouldn’tbe jealous, shewouldn’tmake himanyscenes, she wouldbetolerant andwouldtake thingsasthey came.Shedid everythingshecould tobindhim toher.
2. Tomhada passionfortitles. Hereadabout grand peoplein newspapersandnow andthensaw themina restaurantora theatreinthe flesh.Hewas dazzledbygrand people.Tomwasasnob. Butthatwas tothegood. Juliahopedto makethemost ofTom’sfailing tobindhim toher.On oneexcuseand another, sheinvitedhim tograndparties shegave, persuadedDolly andCharlesto invitehimto lunch, gotinvitationsfor himtoballs.
Poor lamb !Helooked forwardtoevery opportunityofgetting acquaintedwitheminent people.
Luckily, Michaeltook afancyto him.Heeven thoughtTomcould haveagood influenceonRoger.
Tom madeagreat hitwithJulia’s friendstoo.He wasagood listenerandcould giveapiece ofusefuladvice onfinance.
3. Somethingwasbothering Tom.Helooked gloomyandnervous. WhenJuliafound outthathe hadgotinto debt, sheimmediatelyoffered topayall hisdebts.But sometimesTomwas sooutof date.Hecouldn’t spongeonwomen. Juliablamedherself thatshehad ledTominto thelifethat hecouldn’tafford. Shetriedto convincehimthat heshouldn’tdrudge herthepleasure ofcomingto hisrescue, whenhe wasata looseend.Using allherarts ofpersuasion, shewas abletoconvince Tomtoborrow moneyfromher.
4. JuliaandMichael wererichenough tosendtheir sontoEton andthento Cambridge.
Roger wasseventeenyears old.Hedidn’t looklikehis motherorfather. Hehadno inclinationforthe worldofthe theatre.Heheld himselfinsome seriouswayaloof fromhisparents andtheirfriends, thoughhe wasalwaysvery politetoeverybody, Juliasuspected, thathe tooknoneof themseriously.He neverbotheredJulia andheseemed quitecapableof amusinghimself.
Though Julialovedhim verymuch, hepuzzled her.Shethought him dulland notveryintelligent. Whenshewas alonewithhim, time draggedon.
When Rogerwasa child, Juliawouldoften bephotographedwith himandthese photosmadea greathit.She wishedhecould alwaysremainthe sweetprettylittle boyheused tobe.
Portion VI.
1. Itwasno gooddeceivingherself : Tom didn’tloveher. Hewasher loveronlybecause itflatteredhis vanityandgave himconfidencein himself.Besides, hegot acquaintedwithmany distinguishedpersonsthrough her.Itturned hisheadto realizethathe wasonfamiliar termswithsome ofthem.Julia triedtodo herbestto bindhim.She encouragedhimto beextravagantto makehimrealize thathecouldn’t dowithouther. Tomwasanxious tojoina goodcluband shewaspreparing theground.She understoodperfectlythat theiraffaircouldn’t last, butshewasn’t abletogive upTom.
2. Juliawasn’thappy atallto findoutthat Tomwasbecoming moreandmore popularwithher grandfriends.They weregladto makethemost ofhisfinancial knowledgeandin theirturnthey toldtheirfriends abouthim.It wasthroughJulia, that Tomusedto beaskedto partiesbefore.Then hebeganto receiveinvitationsfrom people, whomJuliadidn’t know.Itseemed thathecould dowithouther. Hewasbusy nearlyallthe time.Hiscasualness hurtJulia.Now shewasready tocutany datetosee him.Juliawas jealousofthose distinguishedladies, whomhe metinsociety. Shehada lawopinionof theirvirtueand wassurethat theycoulddo everything.Thosethoughts rankledher.The onlycomfortwas thatallof themwerevery greedyandwithout Julia’smoneyTom wouldn’tbeable toleada life, hehadgot usedto.Or hewouldhave tobreakhimself ofthehabit ofthrowinghis moneyabout.
3. Juliawasshocked tofindout thatpeoplehad beengossipingabout her.Herreputation hadbeenso goodformany years, thatshethought shecouldafford todoevery thingshewanted.
It wasMichael, whofirst noticedthat.He accusedTomjokingly ofcompromisingJulia. AtfirstJulia wastakenaback, but atlastshe couldkeepher presenceofmind. Shewassure, that Michaelwasn’tjealous ofTom.He wastooself-satisfiedand self-confidentforthat. Hethoughthe knewJuliainside andout, butin fact, heknewnothing abouther.He paidnoattention tothegossip andhedidn’t mindJuliahaving somefun.But Juliacouldn’tforget hisremark, itgave hernorest.
She rackedherbrains tounderstandwho couldhavetold ittohim. Thensuddenlyit occurredtoher, that itwasDolly, no doubt.
4. Juliawasfurious withDolly.She wouldn’t standinterferencewith herprivatelife. Thatwasnone ofherbusiness.
Julia wasdeterminedto havethematter outwithDolly. Sherangher uptomake anappointment.Dolly’s voicesoundedcold andhostile.Julia hadalwaysbeen abletoturn Dollyroundher finger, butnowshe couldhardlyconvince Dollytocome.
When theymet, theytalked aboutindifferentthings, and thenJuliagot downtothe point.Shenever tookhereyes offDolly’sface whiletalking.She failedtoconvince DollythatTom wasn’therlover. ButDollypretended thatshebelieved herandsaid Juliahadtaken agreatweight offhermind.
Portion VII.
1. Juliahadalready heardthename ofAviceCrichtonmentioned afewtimes. Sheknew, thatthere wassometalk thatthissmall-part actresswouldperhaps getapart inaplay theyweregoing toputon. So, whenMichaelonce mentionedher, Juliawasn’t takenaback.Michael saidthatTom hadputin awordforAvice.Michaelthought itwasworth whiletogo andhavea lookather, but ashewas busyonSunday, he askedJuliato go.Yieldingto curiosity, Juliaagreed.Tom wastogo withher.But longbeforeJulia hadseenher, she madeupher mindthatAvicewould nevergeta partintheir theatre.
2. Juliawasrelieved toseethatAviceCrichton couldn’tactto toffee.Thisfact tookagreat weightoffher mind.
When thecurtainfell, Tom saidthathe wishedJuliago behindandcongratulate Avice. Juliawasso amazed, thatatfirst, she didn’tknowifsheshould burstintolaughter orgetangry. Butshegot overheramazement. Shewasdetermined togothrough withit.
ThoughAvicedidn’tseem tobenervous andwasself-assured, Juliawasn’t takeninby hergrandmanners. Itevenamused her.Juliasaw thatAvicewas anxioustoget thispart.
3. Tomwashead overearsin lovewithAvice.As soonashe could, hebroughtthe conversationtoher. Itirkedhim toseeJulia home.
Julia knewthatshe mustputan endtotheir affair, shemustget overit.The theatrewasher onlyrefuge.She feltrelief, whenit wastimeto gothere.Merely tobeinside atheatrerested her.Inordinary lifeshehad tostifleher passionandher anguish, butonthe stageshelet herselfgo.
She hadneverput moreofherself intoapart.
4. AlthoughMichaelhimself mightnotbe agoodactor, but heknewgood actingfrombad. Sohesaw atoncethat Juliawasacting likehell, shewas exaggeratingandover-acting. Herperformancewas rotten.
Michael blamedonlyhimself. Julianeededa goodrest.He oughttohave insistedonher takingholidaylong ago.Hesaid theywouldrevive someplay.Hewaseven preparedtosuffer losses.Theonly thing, thatmattered, wasJulia’s health.Onceagain Juliawasstruck byhismagnanimity. Michaelwasthe onlymanshe couldrelyon. Hewouldnever letherdown.
5. Shedecidedto goandstay withhermother. MadamedeLambert, as Michaelinsistedoncallingher, was anoldlady welloverseventy. Juliahada feelingthatin thecourseof herbrilliantcareer, she had atrifleneglected hermother.Now shecouldmake upforit.
Her motherandaunt leddrabmonotonous livesandit wouldbea greatjoyforthemto haveheron alongvisit. AndforJulia itwasan opportunitytocut herselfoffcompletely foratime fromherold lifeandregain serenity.
Julia, to hergreatamazement, soondiscovered thattothem hercelebritywas anembarrassmentrather thananasset. Theydidn’teven offertotake herwiththem topaycalls. Juliawastaken aback, whentheysaid thatitwould bebetterif shedidn’ttell anyonethatshe wasanactress. Buthersense ofhumourprevailed andshefelt inclinedtolaugh.
They mademuchfuss ofhernot becauseshewas agreatactress, but becauseshewasinpoor healthandneeded arest.
Portion VIII.
1. Juliaoftenhad tolistento women’sstoriesabout howmenfollowed theminthestreet, howthey triedtocatch theireye, andhow itwasdifficult togetrid ofthem.It seemedveryflattering toJulia.She oftenwonderedwhy she’dneverbeen followed.Itwasn’t asifshe hadnosexappeal.And whatifnot ? Juliadecidedto putthematter tothetest. Shehadto besure.
Julia tookmuchpains tolookneither tooplainnor toorespectable.A slightsmilehovered herlips.Several timesJuliacaught herbreathcatching aman’seye andexpectinghim tostartfollowing her, buttheyall passedbywithout payinganyattention toher.It washumiliating.It flashedthroughher mindthatshe hadchosenthe wrongstreet.But therewas nothing todo.
2. Juliaalmostlost allhopeof beingpickedup. Suddenlyshenoticed ayoungman lookingather andnevertaking hiseyesoff her.Sheslandered herpacefeeling himbehind.It wasbeginningto looklikean adventure.Julialooked forwardtogetting intoconversationwith theyoungman. Itwasinteresting whathewould offer.Julialooked athimdoubtfully. Judgingbyhis appearance, itwasquite clearthathe couldn’taffordto inviteherto arestaurant.She lookedhimin thefaceencouraging himtostart speaking.Butthen suddenlyhecalled herbyher name.Shewas soastonished, thatshe nearlyjumpedoutofher skin.
3. Julialookedforward tothebeginning oftherehearsals. ThoughJuliahad beenonthe stageformany years, everytimeshe triedanew partshedidn’t feellikea leadinglady, butas ifshewas agirlplaying herfirstpart. Shewasglad tomeetwith othermembersof thecast.Most ofthemshe knewverywell. Onlywithactors shefeltat ease.Shewas oneofthem. Thisatmosphereof make-believewasthe onlyonewhere shecouldbreathe.
Besides, the rehearsalsdistractedher mindfromdisturbing thoughts.Shefelt thatsoonshe wouldbeable togetover hersorrow.Now Tomwashis ownmaster.She didn’tcaretwo strawsforhim.
4. JuliagreetedAvice.They talkedaboutindifferent things, butJuliawatched heroutof thecornersof hereyes.Michael wasdisappointedafter thefirstrehearsal. Itseemedshe wasn’tcapableof takingdirections.Hewasready todismissher atonce.But Juliacouldn’tlet ithappen.Tom wouldthinkthatAvicewasdismissed becauseJuliawas jealousofhim. Juliahadenough influenceonMichael tomakehim keepAvicein thecast.She suggestedthatMichael shouldgothrough thepartwithAviceinprivate. Inthatcase she’dbeable togivea goodperformance.Besides, it wasaniron castpart.It wasimpossibleto spoilit.Butatthe bottomofher heartJuliaalways rememberedthatshe wouldhaveto getevenwithAvice.She’dnever makeasuccess. She’dfailand Juliawouldsee toit.And itwouldmake upforher anguish.
Portion IX.
1. Juliacouldn’tdismiss fromhermind thecuriousconversation shehadhad withRoger.She feltuneasybecause heaccusedher oflackingin personality, hesaidthat Juliadidn’texist apartfromher roles.
She hadatalk withCharlesabout Roger.Buthe didn’tshareher feelings.Heseemed tosympathisemore withRogerthan withher.In somewayhe tookRogerseriously. CharlestoldJulia thatshehad nothingtoworry about, thingswouldstraighten outforRoger afterawhile. Sheshouldjust leavehimalone.
Having heardit, Juliafelt illatease. Rogerwasthankful toher, becauseshe hadalwayslet himleadhis ownlife.It seemed strangethat suchdifferent people thoughtalike.
2. Thefirstnight wasspecialin Julia’slife.In by-goneyearsshe hadbeenextremely nervousbeforeit. Sinceearlymorning shebeganto feelslightlysick andtowardsevening shewasso workedup, thatshe wasaboutlosing herpresenceof mind.
Butnow, afterhavingpassed throughthatordeal somanytimes, she hadlearntto checkhernervousness. Butstill, bythe timetheplay wastobe begun, shestartedfeeling illatease, grew irritable.Those, whoknew herwellenough, took caretokeep outofher way.Thenecessity tospeakto peopleirritatedher, she wishedeveryonewould leaveheralone.
But atthebottom ofherheart, Julia hadanotion thattheirnew playwouldbe ahit.She lookedforwardtothemoment shewouldface thehall, packedwith peopleandwould demonstrateagainher poweroverthe public.
3. Michaelwasthe onlyone, who guessed thatJuliahad letAvicedown. Hiseyeswere shiningwithcomplacency. Hethoughtthat Juliahadplayed suchatrick becauseshewas jealousofAviceto him.Hecouldn’t butfeelflattered. AsJuliaknew herhusbandinside andout, shehad anotionwhat hewasthinking about.Shelaughed uphersleeve athismistake. Onecouldn’tcure himofhis complacency.Itwould bebetterto lethimthink whathewanted. Shereallywas inclinedtolaugh, though shecheckedherself, she couldn’tconceala slightsmile.
She hadsettleda scorewithAvice.She deserveditbecause shehada trialtostay inherway.
4. NowJuliawas freefromthe bonds, whichhadburdened hersomuch. Shehadgot overherpain andwasrelishing herfreedom.She hadbeensuch afoolto takeTomand theiraffairseriously. Butthathad beenamusing, andit couldcomein usefulfor a newpart.
Roger hadsaidthat heractingwas amake-believe.But thatmake-believewas theonlyreality forher.She wasanartist, who usedpeople’sfeelings andherown asamaterial fortheart andbeautycreation.