e to tell
you my whole story, whenever you are entitled to such a confidence.

"When shall I be entitled to it?"

"When I am sure you love me."

"Do you doubt that now?"

"Yes! I think you love me, but I am not sure.

"Margaret, remember I have known you much longer than you have known me.

"No!"

"Yes! Two months before we ever spoke I lived upon your face and voice.

"That is to say you looked from your box at me upon the stage, and did
not I look from the stage at you?"

"Never! you always looked at the pit, and my heart used to sink."

"On the 17th of May you first came into that box. I noticed you a
little, the next day I noticed you a little more; I saw you fancied you
liked me, after a while I could not have played without you."

Here was delicious flattery again, and poor Vane believed every word of
it.

As for her request and her promise, she showed her wisdom in both these.
As Sir Charles observed, it is a wonderful point gained if you allow a
woman to tell her story her own way.

How the few facts that are allowed to remain get molded and twisted out
of ugly forms into pretty shapes by those supple, dexterous fingers!

This present story cannot give the life of Mrs. Woffington, but only one
great passage therein, as do the epic and dramatic writers; but since
there was often great point in any sentences spoken on important
occasions by this lady, I will just quote her defense of herself. The
reader may be sure she did not play her weakest card; let us give her
the benefit.

One day she and Kitty Clive were at it ding-dong; the green-room was
full of actors, male and female, but there were no strangers, and the
ladies were saying things which the men of this generation only think;
at last Mrs. Woffington finding herself roughly, and, as she thought,
unjustly handled, turned upon the assembly and said: "What man did ever
I ruin in all my life? Speak who can!"

And there was a dead silence.

"What woman is there here at as much as three pounds per week even, that
hasn't ruined two at the very least?"

Report says there was a dead silence again, until Mrs. Clive perked up,
and said she had only ruined one, and that was his own fault!

Mrs. Woffington declined to attach weight to this example. "Kitty Clive
is the hook without the bait," said she; and the laugh turned, as it
always did, against Peggy's antagonist.

Thus much was speedily shown to Mr. Vane, that, whatever were Mrs.
Woffingt