Nicholas had read a great many of these scraps, and was absorbed in a circumstantial and melancholy account of the train of events which had led to Miss Snevellicci's spraining her ankle by slipping on a piece of orange-peel flung by a monster in human form, (so the paper said,) upon the stage at Winchester,--when that young lady herself, attired in the coal--scuttle bonnet and walking-dress complete, tripped into the room, with a thousand apologies for having detained him so long after the appointed time.
`But really,' said Miss Snevellicci, `my darling Led, who lives with me here, was taken so very ill in the night that I thought she would have expired in my arms.'
`Such a fate is almost to be envied,' returned Nicholas, `but I am very sorry to hear it nevertheless.'
`What a creature you are to flatter!' said Miss Snevellicci, buttoning her glove in much confusion.
`If it be flattery to admire your charms and accomplishments,' rejoined Nicholas, laying his hand upon the scrapbook, `you have better specimens of it here.'
`Oh you cruel creature, to read such things as those! I'm almost ashamed to look you in the face afterwards, positively I am,' said Miss Snevellicci, seizing the book and putting it away in a closet. `How careless of Led!
How could she be so naughty!'
`I thought you had kindly left it here, on purpose for me to read,'
said Nicholas. And really it did seem possible.
`I wouldn't have had you see it for the world!' rejoined Miss Snevellicci.
`I never was so vexed--never! But she is such a careless thing, there's no trusting her.'
The conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of the phenomenon, who had discreetly remained in the bedroom up to this moment, and now presented herself, with much grace and lightness, bearing in her hand a very little green parasol with a broad fringe border, and no handle. After a few words of course, they sallied into the street.
The phenomenon was rather a troublesome companion, for first the right sandal came down, and then the left, and these mischances being repaired, one leg of the little white trousers was discovered to be longer than the other; besides these accidents, the green parasol was dropped down an iron grating, and only fished up again with great difficulty and by dint of much exertion. However, it was impossible to scold her, as she was the manager's daughter, so Nicholas took it all in perfect good humour, and walked on, with Miss Snevellicci, arm-in-arm on one side, and the offending infant on the other.
The first house to which they bent their steps, was situated in a terrace of respectable appearance. Miss Snevellicci's modest double-knock was answered by a foot-boy, who, in reply to her inquiry whether Mrs Curdle was at home, opened his eyes very wide, grinned very much, and said he didn't know, but he'd inquire. With this he showed them into a parlour where he kept them waiting, until the two women-servants had repaired thither, under false pretences, to see the play-actors; and having compared notes with them in the passage, and joined in a vast quantity of whispering and giggling, he at length went upstairs with Miss Snevellicci's name.
Now, Mrs Curdle was supposed, by those who were best informed on such points, to possess quite the London taste in matters relating to literature and the drama; and as to Mr Curdle, he had written a pamphlet of sixty-four pages, post octavo, on the character of the Nurse's deceased husband in Romeo and Juliet, with an inquiry whether he really had been a `merry man'
in his lifetime, or whether it was merely his widow's affectionate partiality that induced her so to report him. He had likewise proved, that by altering the received mode of punctuation, any one of Shakespeare's plays could be made quite different, and the sense completely changed; it is needless to say, therefore, that he was a great critic, and a very profound and most original thinker.
`Well, Miss Snevellicci,' said Mrs Curdle, entering the parlour, `and how do you do?'
Miss Snevellicci made a graceful obeisance, and hoped Mrs Curdle was well, as also Mr Curdle, who at the same time appeared. Mrs Curdle was dressed in a morning wrapper, with a little cap stuck upon the top of her head. Mr Curdle wore a loose robe on his back, and his right forefinger on his forehead after the portraits of Sterne, to whom somebody or other had once said he bore a striking resemblance.
`I venture to call, for the purpose of asking whether you would put your name to my bespeak, ma'am,' said Miss Snevellicci, producing documents.
`Oh! I really don't know what to say,' replied Mrs Curdle. `It's not as if the theatre was in its high and palmy days--you needn't stand, Miss Snevellicci--the drama is gone, perfectly gone.'
`As an exquisite embodiment of the poet's visions, and a realisation of human intellectuality, gilding with refulgent light our dreamy moments, and laying open a new and magic world before the mental eye, the drama is gone, perfectly gone,' said Mr Curdle.
`What man is there, now living, who can present before us all those changing and prismatic colours with which the character of Hamlet is invested?'
exclaimed Mrs Curdle.
`What man indeed--upon the stage,' said Mr Curdle, with a small reservation in favour of himself. `Hamlet! Pooh! ridiculous! Hamlet is gone, perfectly gone.'
Quite overcome by these dismal reflections, Mr and Mrs Curdle sighed, and sat for some short time without speaking. At length, the lady, turning to Miss Snevellicci, inquired what play she proposed to have.
`Quite a new one,' said Miss Snevellicci, `of which this gentleman is the author, and in which he plays; being his first appearance on any stage.
Mr Johnson is the gentleman's name.'
`I hope you have preserved the unities, sir?' said Mr Curdle.
`The original piece is a French one,' said Nicholas. `There is abundance of incident, sprightly dialogue, strongly-marked characters--'
`--All unavailing without a strict observance of the unities, sir,'