painter!

When the Empress was succeeded by a Spanish Guerilla, who robbed,
murdered, danced, caroused, and made love on the back of a cream-colored
horse--and when the Guerilla was followed by a clown who performed
superhuman contortions, and made jokes by the yard, without the
slightest appearance of intellectual effort--still Mr. Blyth exhibited
no demonstration of astonishment or pleasure. It was only when a bell
rang between the first and second parts of the performance, and the band
struck up "Gentle Zitella," that he showed any symptoms of animation.
Then he suddenly rose; and, moving down to a bench close against the
low partition which separated the ring from the audience, fixed his eyes
intently on a doorway opposite to him, overhung by a frowzy red curtain
with a tinsel border.

From this doorway there now appeared Mr. Jubber himself, clothed in
white trousers with a gold stripe, and a green jacket with military
epaulettes. He had big, bold eyes, a dyed mustache, great fat, flabby
cheeks, long hair parted in the middle, a turn-down collar with a
rose-colored handkerchief; and was, in every respect, the most atrocious
looking stage vagabond that ever painted a blackguard face. He led with
him, holding her hand, the little deaf and dumb girl, whose misfortune
he had advertised to the whole population of Rubbleford.

The face and manner of the child, as she walked into the center of the
circus, and made her innocent curtsey and kissed her hand, went to the
hearts of the whole audience in an instant. They greeted her with such
a burst of applause as might have frightened a grown actress. But not a
note from those cheering voices, not a breath of sound from those loudly
clapping hands could reach her; she could see that they were welcoming
her kindly, and that was all!

When the applause had subsided, Mr. Jubber asked for the loan of a
handkerchief from one of the ladies present, and ostentatiously bandaged
the child's eyes. He then lifted her upon the broad low wall which
encircled the ring, and walked her round a little way (beginning from
the door through which he had entered), inviting the spectators to test
her total deafness by clapping their hands, shouting, or making any
loud noise they pleased close at her ear. "You might fire off a cannon,
ladies and gentlemen," said Mr. Jubber, "and it wouldn't make her start
till after she'd smelt the smoke!"

To the credit of the Rubbleford audience, the majority