Free On wings of song by Mary Burchell Page B

conditions of contract or that sort of thing. But there must be a point when general trends are discussed. There's nothing specially confidential about that. Any persistent journalist can ferret out something like that.'
    Tersist^it journalists also exercise their lively imaginations,' retorted Caroline tartly. 'But, without breaking any confidences, I can tell you that Lucille is expected to come to the Garden in the spring to sing two—or possibly three—works.

    but I don't think it's been decided yet just which ones they'll be.'
    'Is she, by Jove!' Jeremy was clearly enchanted with this scrap of information. 'She wouldn't tell me much about her future arrangements—she said it was unlucky to do so before everything was fixed. She's a bit superstitious, you know,' he added with an indulgent laugh which showed how charming he found Lucille's superstitions.
    'You sound as though you've been seeing quite a lot of her.' Caroline tried to make that sound casual.
    'Oh, on and off.' Jeremy brushed that off lightly. 'I know about the Birmingham concert at the end of the month, of course. In fact I'm going to it.'
    'To Birmingham? Are you really, Jerry?' Suddenly Carohne felt deeply disturbed, and she went on with less than her usual tact, 'Does she— mind your following her around like that?'
    'What do you mean— following her around? Birmingham isn't exactly outer space,' he retorted indignantly.
    'No, no—of course not, but '
    'We get on remarkably well, to tell the truth,' he stated emphatically, cutting across her objection. 'So naturally I want to hear her as often as I can. You don't get a chance to experience her standard of performance every day.'
    Caroline thought of that appealing photograph on the front of the programme, and Mrs Van Kroll's caustic comment on it, and her tone was troubled as she said,
    'Well—so long as she isn't just stringing you along, I suppose it's all right.'

    'Caroline, what's the matter with you?— making these catty comments and suggestions!' Jeremy exclaimed indignantly. *You can take it from me that Lucille Duparc is a very special and lovely person. Incidentally, she's a very good friend too. As a matter of fact, she's trying to help me with my career. While I'm in Birmingham she's going to introduce me to someone who might get me some work on the French provincial circuit.'
    'But Jerry, French agents don't go to Birmingham to make their arrangements,' countered Caroline unhappily. 'They '
    'Don't be silly,' he interrupted loftily. 'You needn't think you're the only one to know about these things, just because you work for that unpleasant Kennedy Marshall. This man isn't coming to Birmingham just to meet me. He's coming over to see Lucille about some of her arrangements, and she's promised to put in a word for me.'
    'I see,' said Caroline pacifically, for this was obviously not the moment to say that in her experience contracts seldom stemmed from a word being 'put in' by another artist, however distinguished.
    The last thing she wanted to do was to quarrel with Jeremy about Lucille Duparc. So she held her peace; but this conversation was very much in her mind the next afternoon when she was taking dictation from her employer. She glanced at his rather hard, good-looking face and could not help wondering what his reaction would have been to the naive arrangements suggested for contract-making via Lucille Duparc.

    She could not of course ask him; they were not on terms when they discussed anything personal. And then, oddly enough, it was he who suddenly volunteered a completely personal remark.
    'I imderstand you went to consult our mutual friend Oscar Warrender the other evening/ hie said. 'About your chances of making a career in the world of singing.'
    There was nothing in his tone to indicate his own reaction to that, but hers was inmiediately defensive.
    'Who told you?' she asked quickly.
    'He did, of course. But he was rather cagey about what advice he gave you. Said I must ask