ort to actors and audience; and in the study and bedroom, which,
being on opposite sides, served admirably for dressing-rooms behind the
scenes, the usual bustle of preparation was going on. As is common in
such cases, some essential properties had been forgotten until the last
moment. No bonnet had been provided for Mrs Hardcastle to take her walks
abroad in; and when the little hair-dresser, who had been retained to
give a finishing touch to some of the coiffures, returned with one
belonging to his "missis," which he had volunteered to lend, the roar
of uncontrollable merriment which this new embellishment of our
disguised friend called forth, made the audience clamorous for the
rising of the curtain--thinking, very excusably, that it was quite
unjustifiable to keep all the fun to ourselves.

After some little trial of our "public's" patience, the play began in
good earnest, and was most favourably received. Indeed, as the only
price of admission exacted was a promise of civil behaviour, and there
were two servants busily employed in handing about punch and "bishop,"
it would have been rather hard if we did not succeed in propitiating
their good-humour. With the exception of two gentlemen who had been
dining out, and were rather noisy in consequence, and evinced a strong
inclination occasionally to take a part in the dialogue, all behaved
wonderfully well, greeting each performer, as he made his first
entrance, with a due amount of cheering; rapturously applauding all the
best scenes; laughing (whether at the raciness of the acting, or the
grotesque metamorphoses of the actors, made no great difference), and
filling up any gap which occurred in the proceedings on the stage, in
spite of the prompter, with vociferous encouragement to the "sticket"
actor. With an audience so disposed, each successive scene went off
better and better. One deserves to be particularised. It was the second
in the first act of the comedy; the stage directions for it are as
follows: "Scene--An alehouse room--Several shabby fellows with punch and
tobacco; Tony at the head of the table, &c., discovered." Never,
perhaps, in any previous representation, was the _mise en scene_ so
perfect; it drew three rounds of applause. A very equivocal compliment
to ourselves it may be; but such jolly-looking "shabby fellows" as sat
round the table at which our Tony presided, were never furnished by the
supernumeraries of Drury or Covent Garden. They were as cla