Courtship -- Fiction; England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
Some slight delay, during which the soft dreamy music still falters
unceasingly from Laura Chipchase's fingers, and then the curtain once
more begins to ascend. There is no such sensational effect as a
pistol-report to startle the audience this time. The scene represents a
lady's dressing-room. In an arm-chair, placed on the stage right
opposite the toilette-table on the stage left, attired as a smart
lady's-maid, reclines Sylla sound asleep; on the table are scattered
bracelets, &c., and also stands an open jewel-case. Mr. Sartoris, got up
to represent a dog-stealer, a burglar, or other member of the predatory
classes, is in the act of getting in a practicable window at the back of
the stage. A dark lantern is in his hand, and his feet are artistically
enshrined in india-rubbers. Stealthily, with many melodramatic starts
and gestures, and anxious glances at the sleeping girl, he makes his way
to the toilette-table, fills his pockets with the glittering gewgaws,
then turns to depart, with his plunder, silently as he had come. As he
passes the sleeping soubrette, she moves uneasily in her chair. With a
ferocious gesture the robber draws from his breast an ominous-looking
knife, pauses for a moment, and then, reassured by her tranquillity,
makes his way to the window. As he disappears, Mrs. Sartoris, an
opera-cloak thrown over her ball-room dress, and carrying a bed-room
candle in her hand, enters and crosses to the toilette-table. Placing
her candle on the table, she seizes the jewel-box, and, it is evident,
becomes cognizant that robbery has been committed. As she turns, Sylla
starts from the chair in great confusion; Mrs. Sartoris points to the
table, and then with a start notices the open window. The curtain
descends upon Mrs. Sartoris pointing in an accusing manner to the window,
and Sylla with clasped hands mutely protesting her innocence and
ignorance of the robbery.
With the clue afforded by the solution of the first syllable, the
audience very soon make out the second; and that the word was either
"mistake" or "mistaken" they entertained little doubt. Curiosity now
centred on what version they would give of the whole, for that each word
was to be rendered in three tableaux had been stated before the
performance commenced.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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