Part 31 (2/2)

'Like it!' cried Mrs Boruo to the play, twice a week if I could: I dote upon it-only you're too affecting someti! Goodness gracious me, Miss Lane, how can you let them torment that poor child so!'

The pheno torn li on by each of her hands, were dragging her in different directions as a trial of strength However, Miss Lane (who had herself been too rown-up actors, to pay the necessary attention to these proceedings) rescued the unhappy infant at this juncture, who, being recruited with a glass of wine, was shortly afterwards taken away by her friends, after sustaining no auze bonnet, and a rather extensive creasing of the white frock and trousers

It was a trying reatSoedies, and others co; soer decidedly low, and others hoped he would have more to do than he usually had Soo, because other people wouldn't proo at all, because other people went At length, and by little and little, o in that, Miss Snevellicci pledged herself to a bill of fare which was coh, if it had no otherother trifles, four pieces, divers songs, a few combats, and several dances); and they returned home, pretty well exhausted with the business of the day

Nicholas worked away at the piece, which was speedily put into rehearsal, and then worked away at his own part, which he studied with great perseverance and acted-as the whole coreat day arrived The crier was sent round, in the , to proclaihfares; and extra bills of three feet long by nine inches wide, were dispersed in all directions, flung down all the areas, thrust under all the knockers, and developed in all the shops They were placarded on all the walls too, though not with co undertaken this office during the indisposition of the regular bill-sticker, a part were posted sideways, and the remainder upside down

At half-past five, there was a rush of four people to the gallery-door; at a quarter before six, there were at least a dozen; at six o'clock the kicks were terrific; and when the elder Master Crued to run behind it for his life Fifteen shi+llings were taken by Mrs Grudden in the first ten minutes

Behind the scenes, the same unwonted excitement prevailed Miss Snevellicci was in such a perspiration that the paint would scarcely stay on her face Mrs Crummles was so nervous that she could hardly relets came out of curl with the heat and anxiety; even Mr Cruh the hole in the curtain, and running back, every now and then, to announce that another man had come into the pit

At last, the orchestra left off, and the curtain rose upon the new piece The first scene, in which there was nobody particular, passed off calh, but when Miss Snevellicci went on in the second, accompanied by the phenomenon as child, what a roar of applause broke out! The people in the Boru their hats and handkerchiefs, and uttering shouts of 'Bravo!' Mrs Borue, of which, some fluttered into the laentleerly towards the scene, remained unconscious of the honour; the tailor and his family kicked at the panels of the upper boxes till they threatened to coer-beer boy re officer, supposed to entertain a passion for Miss Snevellicci, stuck his glass in his eye as though to hide a tear Again and again Miss Snevellicci curtseyed lower and lower, and again and again the applause cath, when the pheno wreaths and put it on, sideways, over Miss Snevellicci's eye, it reached its climax, and the play proceeded

But when Nicholas ca of hands there was! When Mrs Crummles (as his unworthy mother), sneered, and called him 'presumptuous boy,' and he defied her, what a tuentle a case of pistols, said, that if he WAS a gentle-room, until the furniture was sprinkled with the blood of one, if not of t boxes, pit, and gallery, joined in one orous cheer! When he called hislady's property, and she relenting, caused him to relent likewise, and fall down on one knee and ask her blessing, how the ladies in the audience sobbed! When he was hid behind the curtain in the dark, and the wicked relation poked a sharp sword in every direction, save where his legs were plainly visible, what a thrill of anxious fear ran through the house! His air, his figure, his walk, his look, everything he said or did, was the subject of commendation There was a round of applause every time he spoke And when, at last, in the puhted the blue fire, and all the unemployed members of the company came in, and tu to do with the plot, but in order to finish off with a tableau-the audience (who had by this tiave vent to such a shout of enthusiasm as had not been heard in those walls for many and many a day

In short, the success both of new piece and new actor was complete, and when Miss Snevellicci was called for at the end of the play, Nicholas led her on, and divided the applause

CHAPTER 25

Concerning a young Lady from London, who joins the Company, and an elderly Ad Cere a decided hit, was announced for every evening of perfors when the theatre was closed, were reduced from three in the week to two Nor were these the only tokens of extraordinary success; for, on the succeeding Saturday, Nicholas received, by favour of the indefatigable Mrs Grudden, no less a sus; besides which substantial reward, he enjoyed considerable fa a presentation copy of Mr Curdle's paentleraph (in itself an inestimable treasure) on the fly-leaf, acco many expressions of approval, and an unsolicited assurance that Mr Curdle would be very happy to read Shakespeare to hi his stay in the town

'I've got another novelty, Johnson,' said Mr Crulee

'What's that?' rejoined Nicholas 'The pony?'

'No, no, we never co else has failed,' said Mr Crummles 'I don't think we shall come to the pony at all, this season No, no, not the pony'

'A boy phenoested Nicholas

'There is only one phenoirl'

'Very true,' said Nicholas 'I beg your pardon Then I don't knohat it is, I a lady from London?' inquired Mr Crummles 'Miss So-and-so, of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane?'

'I should say she would look very well in the bills,' said Nicholas

'You're about right there,' said Mr Crummles; 'and if you had said she would look very well upon the stage too, you wouldn't have been far out Look here; what do you think of this?'

With this inquiry Mr Crummles unfolded a red poster, and a blue poster, and a yellow poster, at the top of each of which public notification was inscribed in enormous characters-'First appearance of the unrivalled Miss Petowker of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane!'

'Dear me!' said Nicholas, 'I know that lady'

'Then you are acquainted with asperson's body,' retorted Mr Cruain; 'that is, talent of a certain sort-of a certain sort ”The Blood Drinker,”' added Mr Cruh, '”The Blood Drinker” will die with that girl; and she's the only sylph I ever saho could stand upon one leg, and play the tambourine on her other knee, LIKE a sylph'

'When does she come down?' asked Nicholas

'We expect her today,' replied Mr Crummles 'She is an old friend of Mrs Crummles's Mrs Crummles sahat she could do-always knew it froht her, indeed, nearly all she knows Mrs Cruinal Blood Drinker'

'Was she, indeed?'

'Yes She was obliged to give it up though'

'Did it disagree with her?' asked Nicholas

'Not so much with her, as with her audiences,' replied Mr Crummles 'nobody could stand it It was too tremendous You don't quite knohat Mrs Crummles is yet'

Nicholas ventured to insinuate that he thought he did

'No, no, you don't,' said Mr Crummles; 'you don't, indeed I don't, and that's a fact I don't think her country will, till she is dead So woman every year of her life Look at her-mother of six children-three of 'ee!'

'Extraordinary!' cried Nicholas

'Ah! extraordinary indeed,' rejoined Mr Cru his head gravely 'I pledge you my professional word I didn't even know she could dance, till her last benefit, and then she played Juliet, and Helen Macgregor, and did the skipping-rope hornpipe between the pieces The very first time I saw that ad a little nearer, and speaking in the tone of confidential friendshi+p, 'she stood upon her head on the butt-end of a spear, surrounded with blazing fireworks'

'You astonish me!' said Nicholas

'SHE astonished ME!' returned Mr Crurace, coupled with such dignity! I adored her froifted subject of these reium Almost immediately afterwards, Master Percy Crummles entered with a letter, which had arrived by the General Post, and was directed to his gracious ht of the superscription whereof, Mrs Crummles exclaimed, 'From Henrietta Petowker, I do declare!' and instantly became absorbed in the contents

'Is it-?' inquired Mr Cruht,' replied Mrs Cru for her, to be sure!'

'It's the best thing altogether, that I ever heard of, I think,' said Mr Crummles; and then Mr Crummles, Mrs Cru violently Nicholas left thes; wondering very much what mystery connected with Miss Petowker could provoke suchstill ard his sudden enlistuished and brilliant ornament

But, in this latter respect he was mistaken; for-whether Mr Vincent Crummles had paved the way, or Miss Petowker had so hi at the theatre next day was more like that of two dear friends who had been inseparable froentleman who had only met some half-dozen times, and then by mere chance Nay, Miss Petowker even whispered that she had wholly dropped the Kenwigses in her conversations with theencountered Mr Johnson in the very first andthis intelligence with unfeigned surprise, she added, with a sweet glance, that she had a clai

Nicholas had the honour of playing in a slight piece with Miss Petowker that night, and could not but observe that the warmth of her reception wasu actress cast many sweet looks towards the quarter whence these sounds proceeded; and that every tiht that a peculiarly shaped hat in the sa occupied with his share of the stage business, he bestowed no great attention upon this circumstance, and it had quite vanished from his memory by the time he reached home

He had just sat down to supper with Smike, when one of the people of the house caentleman below stairs wished to speak to Mr Johnson

'Well, if he does, you must tell him to cory brethren, I suppose, Ser looked at the cold meat in silent calculation of the quantity that would be left for dinner next day, and put back a slice he had cut for hiht be less formidable in their effects