three gentlemen who went in at the pit-door. Juliet's heart
failed entirely; and she shrank back as Madeline, taking her hand,
attempted to pull her towards the door that admitted the gallery-people.
"We have now gone too far to recede," whispered Madeline,--"You must
stand by me now. I _will not_ go back, and _you must_ come forward.
Here, take my money and put it down with yours--I forgot my gloves, and
my hands will betray me, so I must keep them wrapped up in my cloak."

Juliet laid the money on the ledge before the doorkeeper, who looked at
them with some surprise. They pulled their bonnets more closely over
their faces, and passed up the stairs; Madeline running as fast as
possible, and Juliet entreating her in a low voice to stop a little, as
she could not keep pace with her. They soon found themselves in the
gallery, and being assisted over the benches by a very polite black man,
they took their seats among some coloured people about the centre of the
middle row.

The crowd and heat were intolerable. Juliet kept her eyes cast down;
afraid to look round the house, or even to steal a glance towards the
stage. Madeline, however, looked round boldly, and in a few minutes, to
her great consternation, she perceived Edward Lansdowne standing up in
the back part of one of the stage-boxes. Having finished his novel, and
feeling no inclination to read any more that night, he had concluded to
go to the theatre, reminded of it by seeing the bill in the evening
paper. "Juliet," whispered Madeline, "there is my evil genius." "Where,
where?" exclaimed Juliet, thrown almost off her guard. "If we can
distinguish _him_ at so great a distance, he can also discover
_us_."--"You forget," replied Madeline, "that we are in disguise." These
words, though uttered in a whisper, were evidently heard by the people
round, who all turned to look at them; and some tried to peep under
their bonnets, which made Juliet draw hers down over her face till her
sight was entirely obscured by it.

The play went on; but Madeline and Juliet could not enjoy it, all their
attention being engaged by the continual fear of discovery. Juliet,
however heard enough to convince her that her parents would never have
taken her to see the Belle's Stratagem; as when they did indulge her
with a visit to the theatre, they always selected a night when the play
was unexceptionable, and the whole entertainment such as a young lady
could witness with propriety.

At le