Henry C. Rowland

“ This he had managed, arriving at the theater in a taxi which had been tooling him from café to café most of the afternoon. He was a mere clandestine acquaintance of Clarissa's, who had always been closely herded by her promoters, less for her virtue's sake than for her stage value.
Claudius was astonished to learn that, outside of her work, Clarissa knew scarcely a soul, had no intimate friends, led an utterly tiresome life, and was heartily sick of the whole business. Though a little frightened, she was glad to have made the break and hoped never to pass through a stage entrance again. ”

“ It is the same with a tea or coffee taster, especially the former; these experts never indulge during the sampling season of about eight weeks. Claudius found that the intermission of Sunday left his nose as keen as ever, especially as he did not carry his weekly dispensation to excess. This night happened to be Saturday; wherefore, Claudius, having enjoyed the output of Papa Perkins' excellent cellar, felt the desire to smoke. So he lighted a match, and as it flared brightly, he became conscious of a pair of eyes tugging at him from the taxi. ”

“ Her youthful figure was strong, supple, and symmetrical, with long arms and legs and a face that would have been babyish but for a firm chin and a pair of intensely expressive gray eyes set in a double fringe of dark lashes. ”