g
a tall, thin, pale young gentleman, with extensive whiskers--'Evans, you
play _Roderigo_ beautifully.'

'Beautifully,' echoed the three Miss Gattletons; for Mr. Evans was
pronounced by all his lady friends to be 'quite a dear.' He looked so
interesting, and had such lovely whiskers: to say nothing of his talent
for writing verses in albums and playing the flute! _Roderigo_ simpered
and bowed.

'But I think,' added the manager, 'you are hardly perfect in
the--fall--in the fencing-scene, where you are--you understand?'

'It's very difficult,' said Mr. Evans, thoughtfully; 'I've fallen about,
a good deal, in our counting-house lately, for practice, only I find it
hurts one so. Being obliged to fall backward you see, it bruises one's
head a good deal.'

'But you must take care you don't knock a wing down,' said Mr. Gattleton,
the elder, who had been appointed prompter, and who took as much interest
in the play as the youngest of the company. 'The stage is very narrow,
you know.'

'Oh! don't be afraid,' said Mr. Evans, with a very self-satisfied air; 'I
shall fall with my head "off," and then I can't do any harm.'

'But, egad,' said the manager, rubbing his hands, 'we shall make a
decided hit in "Masaniello." Harleigh sings that music admirably.'

Everybody echoed the sentiment. Mr. Harleigh smiled, and looked
foolish--not an unusual thing with him--hummed' Behold how brightly
breaks the morning,' and blushed as red as the fisherman's nightcap he
was trying on.

'Let's see,' resumed the manager, telling the number on his fingers, 'we
shall have three dancing female peasants, besides _Fenella_, and four
fishermen. Then, there's our man Tom; he can have a pair of ducks of
mine, and a check shirt of Bob's, and a red nightcap, and he'll do for
another--that's five. In the choruses, of course, we can sing at the
sides; and in the market-scene we can walk about in cloaks and things.
When the revolt takes place, Tom must keep rushing in on one side and out
on the other, with a pickaxe, as fast as he can. The effect will be
electrical; it will look exactly as if there were an immense number of
'em. And in the eruption-scene we must burn the red fire, and upset the
tea-trays, and make all sorts of noises--and it's sure to do.'

'Sure! sure!' cried all the performers _una voce_--and away hurried Mr.
Sempronius Gattleton to wash the burnt cork off his face, and superintend
the 'setting up' of some of the amateur