Fair Margaret - Page 94/206

Presently she seemed to feel that he was looking at her, for she turned

her head to him and met his eyes. He came forward at once, and the

others made way for him a little, for most of them knew him by sight as

the famous financier, though he rarely condescended to come behind the

scenes at a rehearsal, or indeed at any other time.

Margaret held out her hand, and Logotheti had just begun to say a few

rather conventional words of congratulation when Schreiermeyer rushed

up with his hat on, pushing everybody aside without ceremony till he

seized Margaret's wrist and would apparently have dragged her away by

main force if she had not gone with him willingly.

'Ill-mannered brute!' exclaimed Logotheti in such a tone that

Schreiermeyer must certainly have heard the words, though he did not

even turn his head.

'I must speak to you at once,' he was saying to Margaret, very

hurriedly, as he led her away. 'It is all bosh, nonsense, stupid stuff,

I tell you! Rubbish!' 'What is rubbish?' asked Margaret in surprise, just as they reached the

other side of the stage. 'My singing?' 'Stuff! You sing well enough. You know it too, you know it quite well!

Good. Are you satisfied with the contract we signed?' 'Perfectly,' answered Margaret, more and more surprised at his manner.

'Ah, very good. Because, I tell you, if you are not pleased, it is just

the same. I will make you stick to it, whether you like it or not.

Understand?' Margaret drew herself up, and looked at him coldly.

'If I carry out my contract,' she said, 'it will be because I signed my

name to it, not because you can force me to do anything against my

will.' Schreiermeyer turned a little pale and glared through his glasses.

'Ah, you are proud, eh? You say to yourself, "First I am a lady, and

then I am a singer that is going to be a prima donna." But the law is

on my side. The law will give me heavy damages, enormous damages, if

you fail to appear according to contract. You think because you have

money in your throat somebody will pay me my damages if you go to

somebody else. You don't know the law, my lady! I can get an injunction

to prevent you from singing anywhere in Europe, pending suit. The other

man will have to pay me before you can open your beautiful mouth to let

the money out! Just remember that! You take my advice. You be an artist

first and a lady afterwards when you have plenty of time, and you stick

to old Schreiermeyer, and he'll stick to you. No nonsense, now, no

stupid stuff! Eh?' 'I haven't the slightest idea what you are driving at,' said Margaret.

'I have made an agreement with you, and unless I lose my voice during

the next month I shall sing wherever you expect me to.' 'All right, because if you don't, I'll make you dance from here to

Jerusalem,' answered Schreiermeyer, glaring again.