Children's stories; Girls -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
All this was enough to rouse the expectations of the audience, but
even they were not prepared for the blaze of glory which met their
eyes as the curtain rose on the court of England. Katharine and
Florence sat on the throne, as pretty and dainty a royal couple as
could be imagined. The play-bills had announced it as the court of
Queen Elizabeth, and Florence looked the queen to perfection, in
her trailing white silk gown, and with her mother's diamonds
blazing in her golden hair; but opinions varied as to the identity
of the haughty king by her side, for no one present was aware that
Elizabeth's kingdom had any such lordly appendage. Still, it was
all very picturesque and, as Polly had said, a great deal could be
attributed to poetical license, so nobody complained, if the
throne was a little overcrowded. Back of the queen were grouped
three maids of honor, elaborately and richly dressed in gowns that
rivalled the rainbow in variety and brilliancy of color; while at
the king's left, as a fitting symbol of the British Lion, crouched
old Leo, the Langs's great Saint Bernard. After a long pause to
allow the audience to study this gorgeous scene, Pocahontas and
her captain swept in and knelt at the foot of the throne. The
queen bowed gracefully, in recognition of their homage, and bade
them rise. Then, addressing the Lion and the maids, she called
them "the free men of England" and, bidding them recall the
captain's services to her realm, she announced her determination
to knight him on the spot. The captain and his bride knelt again,
while the queen not only gave him the royal accolade and dubbed
him Sir John, but went on to extend the ceremony to his devoted
wife, and saluted her as "My Lady Pocahontas, the fairest savage
in all London town." Then the royal pair stepped down from the
throne and, joining hands with My Lord, My Lady, and the maids,
and escorted by the British Lion who amiably wagged his tail in
token of approval, they advanced and bowed low to the audience as
the curtain fell on the play. The applause was enthusiastic and
prolonged, and the actors were rejoicing in their success when, as
the clapping of hands died away, Aunt Jane's voice was heard,
solemnly remarking,--
"Well, I do hope those children realize that all this story about
Pocahontas has been proved to be entirely without foundation. It
seems to me a great waste of time to get up a play that hasn't a
word of truth in it."
"Isn't that just like Aunt Jane!" whispered Pocahontas in disgust.
"I wonder if she'd have liked it any better, if we'd acted out all
about her and her Mr. Baxter."
A few moments later, the actors appeared, all in costume, to bring
small trays laden with good things for the refreshment of their
guests, and to receive congratulations on their play. Then they
gathered in the dining-room to have their share of the goodies and
discuss the evening, feeling that the best part of the whole was
the merry time of talking it over afterwards.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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