Theo had seen this affecting tragedy before, and better done : in reality she agreed with Aaron's dry comment, 'That is an amazingly silly and old-fashioned piece'. Not for worlds would she have had anyone guess that each time she saw it she identified herself with the Grecian Daughter; that her throat elosed and she suffered terror while the distracted heroine fought to save her father's life, and that she felt vibrating in her own breast Mrs. Melmoth's cry of revenge as she stabbed the tyrant.

The curtains fell on the reunited father and daughter. I would do that too, thought Theo, and she looked unconsciously to the Hamilton box. Her latent distrust of Alexander was focused suddenly by the aftermath of the play's emotion into hatred. He was her father's dangerous enemy. She knew it, and sensed that Aaron had not as yet fully realized it.

For a second she felt herself exalted, capable of violence, of plunging the flashing dagger as the Grecian Daughter had done. Then her mood was shattered by Aaron's amused, dispassionate voice behind her. He had been discussing the play. 'Ah, but you see, my dear Count, life is not in the least like that. Certainly modem life is not. The story is preposterous.'

Theo looked again at the Hamilton box and her sense of humor came back. Alexander, engaged in the highly unmen-acing occupation of sucking an orange, was beating time to the music with his fingers while his wife and daughter were leaning across him and whispering.

No, life is no longer dramatic, thought Theo, deflated. We are all too civilized. Exciting things don't happen any more.

She leaned back politely in answer to Joseph, who asked if she had ever seen the Spanish dancers who were scheduled for the entr'acte. She answered 'No,' and turned on her bench in order to talk with him more easily, when her attention was caught by the officers next to them. Or rather by one officer who sat a little way from the others leaning against the side of his box and regarding her fixedly.

As she met his eyes, she experienced a physical sensation of explosion in her chest as though a small musket had been fired. She drew in her breath with a sharp sound. For the effect was one of recognition, of grave, intimate greeting, and yet she knew that she had never seen the man before in her life.

The officer lowered his eyes courteously. She recalled her self with a start and babbled something to Joseph, bat she did not hear his answer.

Joy tinged with fear flooded her. What's the matter with me? she thought wildly.'Tis but the overture to flirtation; he is some philandering officer. But she knew that he was not.