hree, in excellent time, to Evergreen Lodge; and at one o'clock the
rehearsal began.

CHAPTER VI.

"I HOPE Miss Vanstone knows her part?" whispered Mrs. Marrable,
anxiously addressing herself to Miss Garth, in a corner of the theater.

"If airs and graces make an actress, ma'am, Magdalen's performance will
astonish us all." With that reply, Miss Garth took out her work, and
seated herself, on guard, in the center of the pit.

The manager perched himself, book in hand, on a stool close in front of
the stage. He was an active little man, of a sweet and cheerful temper;
and he gave the signal to begin with as patient an interest in the
proceedings as if they had caused him no trouble in the past and
promised him no difficulty in the future. The two characters which
opened the comedy of The Rivals, "Fag" and "The Coachman," appeared on
the scene--looked many sizes too tall for their canvas background, which
represented a "Street in Bath"--exhibited the customary inability to
manage their own arms, legs, and voices--went out severally at the wrong
exits--and expressed their perfect approval of results, so far,
by laughing heartily behind the scenes. "Silence, gentlemen, if you
please," remonstrated the cheerful manager. "As loud as you like _on_
the stage, but the audience mustn't hear you _off_ it. Miss Marrable
ready? Miss Vanstone ready? Easy there with the 'Street in Bath';
it's going up crooked! Face this way, Miss Marrable; full face, if you
please. Miss Vanstone--" he checked himself suddenly. "Curious," he
said, under his breath--"she fronts the audience of her own accord!"
Lucy opened the scene in these words: "Indeed, ma'am, I traversed half
the town in search of it: I don't believe there's a circulating library
in Bath I haven't been at." The manager started in his chair. "My heart
alive! she speaks out without telling!" The dialogue went on. Lucy
produced the novels for Miss Lydia Languish's private reading from under
her cloak. The manager rose excitably to his feet. Marvelous! No hurry
with the books; no dropping them. She looked at the titles before she
announced them to her mistress; she set down "Humphrey Clinker" on
"The Tears of Sensibility" with a smart little smack which pointed the
antithesis. One moment--and she announced Julia's visit; another--and
she dropped the brisk waiting-maid's courtesy; a third--and she was off
the stage on the side set down for her in the book. The manager wheeled
rou