"
Potter stood silent in the centre of the stage, expressionless,
which seemed to terrify the stage-manager. "Just one second,
Mr. Potter!" he screamed, his brow pearly with the anguish of
apprehension. "Just one second, sir!"
He went hotfoot among the disturbers, protesting, commanding,
imploring, and plausibly answering severe questions. "Well,
when do you expect us to git this work done?" "We got our work
to do, ain't we?" until finally the tumult ceased, the saw
slowing down last of all, tapering off reluctantly into a
silence of plaintive disappointment; whereupon Packer resumed
his place, under a light at the side of the stage, turning the
pages of his manuscript with fluttering fingers and keeping his
eyes fixed guiltily upon it. The company of actors also
carefully removed their gaze from the star and looked guilty.
Potter allowed the fatal hush to continue, while the
culpability of Packer and the company seemed mysteriously to
increase until they all reeked with it. The stage-hands had
withdrawn in a grieved manner somewhere into the huge rearward
spaces of the old building.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25