Part 59 (2/2)

Ralph looked at him with a contemptuous frown, and replied with a sneer, and between his teeth: 'Did youher she was tired and did too th?'

'Ay, ay What of it?'

'When do you think he ever told her that before? The life is e it for her'

'D'ye think it's done?' inquired old Arthur, peering into his companion's face with half-closed eyes

'I a to deceive hi believe that he thinks of her good and not his own He is acting a virtuous part, and so considerate and affectionate, sir, that the daughter scarcely knew him I saw a tear of surprise in her eye There'll be a few h of a different kind Oh! we may ith confidence for this day week'

CHAPTER 48

Being for the Benefit of Mr Vincent Crue It ith a very sad and heavy heart, oppressed by many painful ideas, that Nicholas retraced his steps eastward and betook hi-house of Cheeryble Brothers Whatever the idle hopes he had suffered himself to entertain, whatever the pleasant visions which had sprung up in his e of Madeline Bray, they were now dispelled, and not a vestige of their gaiety and brightness remained

It would be a poor compliment to Nicholas's better nature, and one which he was very far fro, to insinuate that the solution, and such a solution, of the mystery which had seenorant even of her name, had damped his ardour or cooled the fervour of his adarded her before, with such a passion as young ance er feelings But, reverence for the truth and purity of her heart, respect for the helplessness and loneliness of her situation, sy and fair and adreat and noble spirit, all seemed to raise her far above his reach, and, while they inity to his love, to whisper that it was hopeless

'I will keep ed it to her,' said Nicholas, e, and I will perform the double duty that is imposed upon s deserve no consideration in such a case as this, and they shall have none'

Still, there were the secret feelings in existence just the saed the (if he reasoned at all) that there they could do no harm to anybody but himself, and that if he kept theht to entertain himself with thehts, coupled hat he had seen thatand the anticipation of his next visit, rendered him a very dull and abstracted companion; so much so, indeed, that Tiure so upon his mind, and seriously conjured him, if such were the case, to make a clean breast and scratch it out, rather than have his whole life embittered by the tortures of remorse

But in reply to these considerate representations, and many others both froht to state that he was never merrier in his life; and so went on all day, and so went towards hoain the sas, and arriving over and over again at the same conclusions

In this pensive, ard, and uncertain state, people are apt to lounge and loiter without knohy, to read placards on the walls with great attention and without the smallest idea of one word of their contents, and to stare s which they don't see It was thus that Nicholas found hie play-bill hanging outside a Minor Theatre which he had to pass on his way ho a list of the actors and actresses who had proravity as if it had been a catalogue of the nahest upon the Book of Fate, and he had been looking anxiously for his own He glanced at the top of the bill, with a smile at his own dulness, as he prepared to resue letters with a large space between each of them, 'Positively the last appearance of Mr Vincent Crummles of Provincial Celebrity!!!'

'Nonsense!' said Nicholas, turning back again 'It can't be'

But there it was In one line by itself was an announceht of a new melodrama; in another line by itself was an announcehts of an old one; a third line was devoted to the re-engagement of the unrivalled African Knife-sho had kindly suffered hieer; a fourth line announced that Mr Snittle Ti recovered from his late severe indisposition, would have the honour of appearing that evening; a fifth line said that there were 'Cheers, Tears, and Laughter!' every night; a sixth, that that was positively the last appearance of Mr Vincent Crummles of Provincial Celebrity

'Surely it ht Nicholas 'There can't be two Vincent Crummleses'

The better to settle this question he referred to the bill again, and finding that there was a Baron in the first piece, and that Roberto (his son) was enacted by one Master Crummles, and Spaletro (his nephew) by one Master Percy Crummles-THEIR last appearances-and that, incidental to the piece, was a characteristic dance by the characters, and a castanet pas seul by the Infant Phenoer entertained any doubt; and presenting hi in a scrap of paper with 'Mr Johnson' written thereon in pencil, was presently conducted by a Robber, with a very large belt and buckle round his waist, and very large leather gauntlets on his hands, into the presence of his forlad to see hilass, with one very bushy eyebrow stuck on crooked over his left eye, and the fellow eyebrow and the calf of one of his legs in his hand, e, that it would do Mrs Cruoodbye before they went

'You were always a favourite of hers, Johnson,' said Crummles, 'alere from the first I was quite easy in my mind about you from that first day you dined with us One that Mrs Cruht Ah! Johnson, what a woed to her for her kindness in this and all other respects,' said Nicholas 'But where are you going, that you talk about bidding goodbye?'

'Haven't you seen it in the papers?' said Crunity

'No,' replied Nicholas

'I wonder at that,' said the raph here so, Mr Cruht he must have lost it, produced a square inch of newspaper from the pocket of the pantaloons he wore in private life (which, together with the plain clothes of several other gentlemen, lay scattered about on a kind of dresser in the rooave it to Nicholas to read: 'The talented Vincent Cruer and actor of no ordinary pretensions, is about to cross the Atlantic on a histrionic expedition Cruifted family We know no man superior to Crummles in his particular line of character, or one hether as a public or private individual, could carry with hier circle of friends Crummles is certain to succeed'

'Here's another bit,' said Mr Cru over a still smaller scrap 'This is from the notices to correspondents, this one'

Nicholas read it aloud '”Philo-Draer and actor, cannot be e Cru been born at Chelsea” Huraph'

'Very,' returned Cru at Nicholas with an assus in I didn't'

Still keeping his eye on Nicholas, Mr Cruravity, and reine how the newspapers found out the things they did, folded up the extracts and put theain

'I a to A in contemplation when I ith you'

'No,' replied Crummles, 'I hadn't then The fact is that Mrs Crummles-most extraordinary wo in his ear

'Oh!' said Nicholas, s 'The prospect of an addition to your family?'

'The seventh addition, Johnson,' returned Mr Cruht such a child as the Phenomenon must have been a closer; but it seems we are to have another She is a very reratulate you,' said Nicholas, 'and I hope this may prove a pheno uncommon, I suppose,' rejoined Mr Crummles 'The talent of the other three is principally in combat and serious pantoedy; I understand they want so of that sort in America very much However, we enius for the tight-rope It enius, in short, if it takes after its enius; but, whatever its genius is, that genius shall be developed'

Expressing himself after these terms, Mr Crus, and then put on his legs, which were of a yellowish flesh-colour, and rather soiled about the knees, fro down upon those joints, in curses, prayers, last struggles, and other strong passages

While the ex-er completed his toilet, he informed Nicholas that as he should have a fair start in Aeh to obtain, and as he and Mrs Cru iurative sense) he had made up hissoe, and which they could afterwards bequeath to their children Nicholas, having highly commended the resolution, Mr Cruence relative to their ; infors, that Miss Snevellicci was happilywax-chandler who had supplied the theatre with candles, and that Mr Lillyvick didn't dare to say his soul was his own, such was the tyrannical sway of Mrs Lillyvick, who reigned paramount and supreme

Nicholas responded to this confidence on the part of Mr Cru to hi hieneral words as he could, of the circuratulating hireat heartiness on the iave hi he and his were to start for Liverpool, where the vessel lay which was to carry theland, and that if Nicholas wished to take a last adieu of Mrs Cruht to a farewell supper, given in honour of the fa tavern; at which Mr Snittle Timberry would preside, while the honours of the vice-chair would be sustained by the African Ser

The roo by this time very warentlemen, who had just killed each other in the piece under representation, Nicholas accepted the invitation, and promised to return at the conclusion of the perforht out of doors to the unpowder, which pervaded the hot and glaring theatre

He availed himself of this interval to buy a silver snuff-box-the best his funds would afford-as a token of re purchased besides a pair of ear-rings for Mrs Cru shi+rt-pin for each of the young gentle a little after the appointed tihts out, the theatre eht, and Mr Cru his arrival

'Ti,' said Mr Cruht He does a faithful black in the last piece, and it takes hier to wash himself'

'A very unpleasant line of character, I should think?' said Nicholas

'No, I don't know,' replied Mr Cruh, and there's only the face and neck We had a first-tragedy man in our company once, hen he played Othello, used to black hi into it as if you meant it; it isn't usual; more's the pity'

Mr Snittle Timberry now appeared, ar introduced to Nicholas, raised his hat half a foot, and said he was proud to know him The Ser said the same, and looked and spoke remarkably like an Irishman

'I see by the bills that you have been ill, sir,' said Nicholas to Mr Timberry 'I hope you are none the worse for your exertions tonight?'

Mr Tiloonificancy, and drawing his cloak more closely about him, said, 'But no matter, no matter Coe are in any strait involving the very last extremity of weakness and exhaustion, they invariably perforenuity and muscular power Thus, a wounded prince or bandit chief, who is bleeding to death and too faint to move, except to the softest music (and then only upon his hands and knees), shall be seen to approach a cottage door for aid in such a series of writhings and twistings, and with such curlings up of the legs, and such rollings over and over, and such gettings up and tuain, as could never be achieved save by a very strongAnd so natural did this sort of performance come to Mr Snittle Timberry, that on their way out of the theatre and towards the tavern where the supper was to be holden, he testified the severity of his recent indisposition and its wasting effects upon the nervous systeymnastic performances which were the admiration of all witnesses

'Why this is indeed a joy I had not looked for!' said Mrs Crummles, when Nicholas was presented