It was a friendly offer; and the young Italian girl, who was working hard in every way to fit herself for the stage, was glad to be initiated still further into these mysteries of the toilet.  But when she had followed Miss Burgoyne into the sacred inner room, and when the dresser had been told she should not be wanted yet awhile, Nina, who was far from being a stupid person, began to perceive what had prompted this sudden invitation.  For Miss Burgoyne, as she was throwing off her things, and getting ready for her stage-transformation, kept plying her guest with all sorts of cunning little questions about Mr. Moore—­questions which had no apparent motive, it is true, so carelessly were they asked; but Nina, even as she answered, was shrewd enough to understand.

“So you might call yourself quite an old friend of his,” the prima-donna continued, busying herself at the dressing-table.  “Well, what do you think of him now?”

“How, Miss Burgoyne?” Nina said.

“Why, you see the position he has attained here in London—­very different from what he had when he was studying in Naples, I suppose.  Don’t you hear how all those women are spoiling him?  What do you think of that?  If I were a friend of his—­an intimate friend—­I should warn him.  For what will the end be—­he’ll marry a rich woman, a woman of fashion, and cease to be anybody.  Fancy a man’s ruining his career—­giving up his position, his reputation—­becoming nobody at all—­in order to have splendid horses and give big dinner-parties!  Of course she’ll have her doll, to drive by her side in the Park; but she’ll tire—­and then?  And he’ll get sick-tired, too, and wish he was back in the theatre; and just as likely as not he’ll take to drinking, or gambling, or something.  Depend on it, my dear, a professional should marry in the profession; that’s the only safe thing; then there is a community of interests, and they understand each other and are glad of each other’s success.  Don’t you think so yourself?”

Nina was startled by the sudden appeal; but she managed to intimate that, on the whole, she agreed with Miss Burgoyne; and that young lady proceeded to expand her little lecture and to cite general instances that had come within her own knowledge of the disastrous effects of theatrical people marrying outside their own set.  As to any lesson in the art of making-up, perhaps Miss Burgoyne had forgotten the pretext on which she asked Nina to come to her room.  Her maid was called in to help her now.  And at last it was time for Nina to go, for she also, in her humble way, had to prepare herself for the performance.