Part 37 (2/2)

It was directed to blank Johnson, Esq, by favour of Augustus Folair, Esq; and the astonishree lessened, when he found it to be couched in the following laconic terards to Mr Johnson, and will feel obliged if he will infor it will be most convenient to hi his nose pulled in the presence of the colectan appointment, as he has invited two or three professional friends to witness the ceremony, and cannot disappoint them upon any account whatever

”PORTSMOUTH, TUESDAY NIGHT”

Indignant as he was at this i so exquisitely absurd in such a cartel of defiance, that Nicholas was obliged to bite his lip and read the note over two or three tiravity and sternness to address the hostile , nor altered the expression of his face in the slightest degree

'Do you know the contents of this note, sir?' he asked, at length

'Yes,' rejoined Mr Folair, looking round for an instant, and i

'And how dare you bring it here, sir?' asked Nicholas, tearing it into very little pieces, and jerking it in a shower towards thekicked downstairs, sir?'

Mr Folair turned his head-now ornaments of the note-towards Nicholas, and with the sanity, briefly replied 'No'

'Then,' said Nicholas, taking up the tall hat and tossing it towards the door, 'you had better follow that article of your dress, sir, or you reeably deceived, and that within a dozen seconds'

'I say, Johnson,' renity, 'none of that, you know No tricks with a gentleman's wardrobe'

'Leave the room,' returned Nicholas 'How could you presume to come here on such an errand, you scoundrel?'

'Pooh! pooh!' said Mr Folair, unwinding his co hih!' cried Nicholas, advancing towards him 'Take yourself off, sir'

'Pooh! pooh! I tell you,' returned Mr Folair, waving his hand in deprecation of any further wrath; 'I wasn't in earnest I only brought it in joke'

'You had better be careful how you indulge in such jokes again,' said Nicholas, 'or you erous reminder for the subject of your facetiousness Was it written in joke, too, pray?'

'No, no, that's the best of it,' returned the actor; 'right down earnest-honour bright'

Nicholas could not repress a sure before him, which, at all tier, was especially so at that round, Mr Folair twirled his old hat round upon his hand, and affected the extreony lest any of the nap should have been knocked off-an ornament which it is almost superfluous to say, it had not boasted forin spite of hioodness to explain'

'Why, I'll tell you how it is,' said Mr Folair, sitting hireat coolness 'Since you ca but second business, and, instead of having a reception every night as he used to have, they have let him come on as if he was nobody'

'What do you mean by a reception?' asked Nicholas

'Jupiter!' exclaimed Mr Folair, 'what an unsophisticated shepherd you are, Johnson! Why, applause froht after night, never getting a hand, and you getting a couple of rounds at least, and soot quite desperate, and had half a ht to play Tybalt with a real sword, and pink you-not dangerously, but just enough to lay you up for a month or two'

'Very considerate,' remarked Nicholas

'Yes, I think it was under the circu at stake,' said Mr Folair, quite seriously 'But his heart failed hi you, andhimself popular at the same ti Bless you, if he had pinked you,' said Mr Folair, stopping to make a calculation in his mind, 'it would have been worth-ah, it would have been worth eight or ten shi+llings a week to him All the toould have come to see the actor who nearly killed a eed to try so popular, and this one occurred to him It's clever idea, really If you had shown the white feather, and let hiot it into the paper; if you had sworn the peace against him, it would have been in the paper too, and he'd have been just as much talked about as you-don't you see?'

'Oh, certainly,' rejoined Nicholas; 'but suppose I were to turn the tables, and pull HIS nose, what then? Would that make his fortune?'

'Why, I don't think it would,' replied Mr Folair, scratching his head, 'because there wouldn't be any romance about it, and he wouldn't be favourably known To tell you the truth though, he didn't calculate much upon that, for you're always sothe woht If you did, however, he has a way of getting out of it easily, depend upon that'

'Has he?' rejoined Nicholas 'We will try, toive whatever account of our interview you like best Good-night'

As Mr Folair was pretty well known ahted in mischief, and was by no means scrupulous, Nicholas had not edian in the course he had taken, and, moreover, that he would have carried his h hand if he had not been disconcerted by the very unexpected demonstrations hich it had been received It was not worth his while to be serious with hientle hint that if he offended again it would be under the penalty of a broken head; and Mr Folair, taking the caution in exceedingly good part, walked away to confer with his principal, and give such an account of his proceedings as he ht think best calculated to carry on the joke

He had no doubt reported that Nicholas was in a state of extreentleman walked withat the usual hour, he found all the company assembled in evident expectation, and Mr Lenville, with his severest stage face, sittingdefiance

Now the ladies were on the side of Nicholas, and the gentleedian; so that the latter forroup about the redoubtable Mr Lenville, and the former looked on at a little distance in so to salute theeneral re the natural history of puppies

'Oh!' said Nicholas, looking quietly round, 'are you there?'

'Slave!' returned Mr Lenville, flourishi+ng his right ar Nicholas with a theatrical stride But somehow he appeared just at that moment a little startled, as if Nicholas did not look quite so frightened as he had expected, and came all at once to an aard halt, at which the asseh

'Object of my scorn and hatred!' said Mr Lenville, 'I hold ye in contehed in very unexpected enjoyehed louder than before; whereat Mr Lenville assumed his bitterest smile, and expressed his opinion that they were 'edian, taking an upward look at Nicholas, beginning at his boots and ending at the crown of his head, and then a doard one, beginning at the crown of his head, and ending at his boots-which two looks, as everybody knows, express defiance on the stage 'They shall not protect ye-boy!'

Thus speaking, Mr Lenville folded his arms, and treated Nicholas to that expression of face hich, inthe tyrannical kings when they said, 'Aith hieon beneath the castleof fetters, had been known to produce great effects in its time

Whether it was the absence of the fetters or not, it made no very deep impression on Mr Lenville's adversary, however, but rather seeood-hue of the contest, one or two gentle of Nicholas's nose, grew i that if it were to be done at all it had better be done at once, and that if Mr Lenville didn'tthere Thus urged, the tragedian adjusted the cuff of his right coat sleeve for the performance of the operation, and walked in a very stately manner up to Nicholas, who suffered him to approach to within the requisite distance, and then, without the smallest discoedian could raise his head from the boards, Mrs Lenville (who, as has been before hinted, was in an interesting state) rushed fro scream threw herself upon the body

'Do you see this,up, and pointing to his prostrate lady, as holding hiht round the waist

'Coise for the insolent note you wrote to '

'Never!' cried Mr Lenville

'Yes-yes-yes!' screao all idle forhted corse at your feet'

'This is affecting!' said Mr Lenville, looking round hi the back of his hand across his eyes 'The ties of nature are strong The weak husband and the father-the father that is yet to be-relents I apologise'

'Humbly and submissively?' said Nicholas

'Hu upwards 'But only to save her,-for a tiood,' said Nicholas; 'I hope Mrs Lenville ood one; and when it does come, and you are a father, you shall retract it if you have the courage There Be careful, sir, to what lengths your jealousy carries you another time; and be careful, also, before you venture too far, to ascertain your rival's te advice Nicholas picked up Mr Lenville's ash stick which had flown out of his hand, and breaking it in half, threw hihtly to the spectators as he walked out

The profoundest deference was paid to Nicholas that night, and the people who had been , ereat feeling, how very friendly they took it that he should have treated that Lenville so properly, as a most unbearable fellow, and on whom they had all, by a remarkable coincidence, at one tin punish by considerations of e from the invariable termination of all these stories, there never was such a charitable and kind-hearted set of people as the male members of Mr Crummles's company