, the lady part of the
audience sitting wrapt in admiration, with the eyes fastened on the
stage as intently as if they were witnessing a marriage ceremony, gently
murmuring their approbation in detached sentences, such as "sweet,
lovely, charming, exquisite;" while the fast men by the door, utter the
words "knocker, fast nag," and declare that her time is "two thirty."

One of these very sporting young gentlemen asserts his readiness to
"back her against the field." Just as the prima donna makes a very
steep raise in the scale with a dreadful velocity of utterance, the same
individual expresses his desire to withdraw the offer, observing that
she is making her "brushes" too soon, and that he fears "she'll be too
distressed to come home handsome."

A troupe of maidens with very plethoric ancles, now make their
appearance, encumbered by large gilt paste-board caskets, containing
some exceedingly brilliant paste-jewelry, intended as bridal presents
for the unprotected female. They have, however, the strangest mode of
offering these tokens of friendship that we have ever seen.

[Illustration]

They arrange themselves in a line on one side of the stage, apparently
measuring their proximity to or distance from the foot-lights, with
reference to the relative thickness of their ankles, until the lady
nearest the audience seems to be the subject of a violent attack of
elephantiasis. This done, they repeatedly sing five bars, and stretch
out the right hand containing the present, in a line, forming, with the
body, an angle of about ninety degrees.

A certain king of Castile in disguise, who is another of the many
admirers of the heroine, breaks in on this little ceremony, expresses a
strong wish to see her, and is told by one of the maidens, that the
subject of his admirations is very much depressed in spirits, being
considerably smitten with the afore-mentioned outlaw chieftain. The king
is shocked at his adored one's want of taste in making a preference so
little flattering to himself, and endeavours to force her to escape with
him; but the young lady being highly indignant, draws a dagger, and
threatens "to go into him," if he don't cease taking such
liberties--thereby attracting considerable applause from some gentlemen
in a back box, who have a strong penchant for dog-fighting. The outlaw
happens to come in at the very nick of time, and after some quite
serious altercation between him and the disguised king, at the mom