hild's;--to tell these and
a hundred other things ever so briefly, would occupy more of our room and
our readers' patience, than either they or we can conveniently spare.
Therefore we change the subject, merely observing that we have offered no
description of the funny young gentleman's personal appearance, believing
that almost every society has a Griggins of its own, and leaving all
readers to supply the deficiency, according to the particular
circumstances of their particular case.

THE THEATRICAL YOUNG GENTLEMAN

All gentlemen who love the drama--and there are few gentlemen who are not
attached to the most intellectual and rational of all our amusements--do
not come within this definition. As we have no mean relish for
theatrical entertainments ourself, we are disinterestedly anxious that
this should be perfectly understood.

The theatrical young gentleman has early and important information on all
theatrical topics. 'Well,' says he, abruptly, when you meet him in the
street, 'here's a pretty to-do. Flimkins has thrown up his part in the
melodrama at the Surrey.'--'And what's to be done?' you inquire with as
much gravity as you can counterfeit. 'Ah, that's the point,' replies the
theatrical young gentleman, looking very serious; 'Boozle declines it;
positively declines it. From all I am told, I should say it was
decidedly in Boozle's line, and that he would be very likely to make a
great hit in it; but he objects on the ground of Flimkins having been put
up in the part first, and says no earthly power shall induce him to take
the character. It's a fine part, too--excellent business, I'm told. He
has to kill six people in the course of the piece, and to fight over a
bridge in red fire, which is as safe a card, you know, as can be. Don't
mention it; but I hear that the last scene, when he is first poisoned,
and then stabbed, by Mrs. Flimkins as Vengedora, will be the greatest
thing that has been done these many years.' With this piece of news, and
laying his finger on his lips as a caution for you not to excite the town
with it, the theatrical young gentleman hurries away.

The theatrical young gentleman, from often frequenting the different
theatrical establishments, has pet and familiar names for them all. Thus
Covent-Garden is the garden, Drury-Lane the lane, the Victoria the vic,
and the Olympic the pic. Actresses, too, are always designated by their
surnames only, as Taylor, Nisbett, Faucit, H