ems to have settled upon it--it has
a peculiar atmosphere of its own--an atmosphere dark, heavy, and
strangely flavored with odors of escaping gas and crushed orange-peel.
Behind the scenes, these odors mingle with a chronic, all-pervading
smell of beer--beer, which the stranger's sensitive nose detects
directly, in spite of the choking clouds of dust which arise from the
boards at the smallest movement of any part of the painted scenery. The
Brilliant had gone through much ill-fortune--its proprietors never
realized any financial profit till they secured Violet Vere. With her
came prosperity. Her utter absence of all reserve--the frankness with
which she threw modesty to the winds,--the vigor with which she danced a
regular "break-down,"--roaring a comic song of the lowest type, by way
of accompaniment,--the energetic manner in which, metaphorically
speaking, she kicked at the public with her shapely legs,--all this
overflow of genius on her part drew crowds to the Brilliant nightly, and
the grateful and happy managers paid her a handsome salary, humored all
her caprices, and stinted and snubbed for her sake, all the rest of the
company. She was immensely popular--the "golden youth" of London raved
about her dyed hair, painted eyes, and carmined lips--even her voice, as
coarse as that of a dustman, was applauded to the echo, and her dancing
excited the wildest enthusiasm. Dukes sent her presents of diamond
ornaments--gifts of value which they would have possibly refused to
their own wives and daughters,--Royal Highnesses thought it no shame to
be seen lounging near her stage dressing-room door,--in short, she was
in the zenith of her career, and, being thoroughly unprincipled,
audaciously insolent, and wholly without a conscience,--she enjoyed
herself immensely.

At the very time when Lady Winsleigh's carriage was nearing the Strand,
the grand morning rehearsal of a new burlesque was "on" at the
Brilliant--and Violet's harsh tones, raised to a sort of rough masculine
roar, were heard all over the theatre, as she issued commands or made
complaints according to her changeful humors. She sat in an elevated
position above the stage on a jutting beam of wood painted to resemble
the gnarled branch of a tree,--swinging her legs to and fro and clinking
the heels of her shoes together in time to the mild scraping of a
violin, the player whereof was "trying over" the first few bars of the
new "jig" in which she was ere long to d