The white hand rested on Roberta's knee as the voice continued kindly: "If you were my sister, I would say don't, _don't_ take up the stage as a profession. It's such a weary, thankless life. Only a few of us reach the top, little girl, and it's such a hard grind. Too, if you want to live right, theatrical folk think you are queer and you don't win their friendship. They say you're not their kind."