THE MAGIC EGG
"HIS WIFE'S DECEASED SISTER"
THE WIDOW'S CRUISE
CAPTAIN ELI'S BEST EAR
LOVE BEFORE BREAKFAST
THE STAYING POWER OF SIR ROHAN
A PIECE OF RED CALICO
THE CHRISTMAS WRECK
MY WELL AND WHAT CAME OUT OF IT
MR. TOLMAN
MY UNWILLING NEIGHBOR
OUR ARCHERY CLUB
The pretty little theatre attached to the building of the Unicorn Clubhad been hired for a certain January afternoon by Mr. Herbert Loring,who wished to give therein a somewhat novel performance, to which hehad invited a small audience consisting entirely of friends andacquaintances.
Loring was a handsome fellow about thirty years old, who had travelledfar and studied much. He had recently made a long sojourn in the farEast, and his friends had been invited to the theatre to see some ofthe wonderful things he had brought from that country of wonders. AsLoring was a club-man, and belonged to a family of good socialstanding, his circle of acquaintances was large, and in this circle agood many unpleasant remarks had been made regarding the proposedentertainment—made, of course, by the people who had not been invitedto be present. Some of the gossip on the subject had reached Loring,who did not hesitate to say that he could not talk to a crowd, and thathe did not care to show the curious things he had collected to peoplewho would not thoroughly appreciate them. He had been very particularin regard to his invitations.
At three o'clock on the appointed afternoon nearly all the people whohad been invited to the Unicorn Theatre were in their seats. No onehad stayed away except for some very good reason, for it was well knownthat if Herbert Loring offered to show anything it was worth seeing.
About forty people were present, who sat talking to one another, oradmiring the decoration of the theatre. As Loring stood upon thestage—where he was entirely alone, his exhibition requiring noassistants—he gazed through a loophole in the curtain upon a veryinteresting array of faces. There were the faces of many men and womenof society, of students, of workers in various fields of thought, andeven of idlers in all fields of thought; but there was not one whichindicated a frivolous or listless disposition. The owners of thosefaces had come to see something, and they wished to see it.
For a quarter of an hour after the time announced for the opening ofthe exhibition Loring peered through the hole in the curtain, and then,although all the people he had expected had not arrived, he felt itwould not do for him to wait any longer. The audience was composed ofwell-bred and courteous men and women, but despite their politeself-restraint Loring could see that some of them were getting tired ofwaiting. So, very reluctantly, and feeling th