On the following evening the manager drew her father
aside and whispered in his ear:--"You have a fortune in that girl of
yours." Walker, misunderstanding the purport of his words, replied:--
"Yes, she is a good and affectionate child, as much so as if I were
her natural parent." "You do not understand me," said the other;
"I mean she has immense emotional power, which, if artistically
cultivated, would, coupled with her personal appearance, make both
her fortune and yours."
"Do you think so?" replied Walker; "well, if we had only the means
I would certainly have her trained, for, since she has seen
Mademoiselle B---- act, her great ambition seems to be to occupy a
similar position." After further conversation it was agreed to place
Margery under the care of Mrs. L----, with a view of becoming a
professional actress; for, although Walker did not at all care for
the stage or its concomitants, still he did not wish to throw any
obstacles in the way of his adopted child's prosperity. Margery,
therefore, was allowed to pursue the bent of her inclinations, and
such an apt pupil was she that in a little over eighteen months her
debut was announced in the papers, and a crowded house showered
floral and other trophies on the beautiful debutante.
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