“Oh, Miss O’Finn,” she sobbed, “you’ve been and gone and shattered my life’s ambishings with them words. You see, when I’m reciting I feel as if my head was going through the ceiling, but of course what you feels and what you is ain’t the same, is they? Still, it’s always the darkest hour before the dawn, they say, and I’ve still got my young man. When I see him on Sunday night I’ll tell him as I’ve given up my life’s ambishings, and he can start saving up for merridge as soon as he likes. It’s broke _my_ heart, but he’ll be happy. He was always afraid he’d lose me, Miss O’Finn. He never could believe I’d remain a simple milkman’s wife when I become famous, and on’y last week he let a lovely double-bed go by because he didn’t want to have it on his hands and me out of his reach.” A few days after Nancy had destroyed Maudie’s dramatic ambitions she received a letter from Mrs. Pottage. 3 Starboard Alley, Greenwich. April 1st ! My dear Mrs. Fuller, Its’ a nice day to choose to write a letter to any one but there you won’t get it till April 2nd so you won’t think any one’s sending you a live mouse or any silly joke like that. Well, here we are as well as we can be thank God—Letitsha is in the pink there’s no doubt about it and so am I but this is not what I am writing about. Last week we had the _Lights of Home_ company at the Royal and Mr. Plimmer who was acting in it was lodging with me and this week they finished and he’s staying on with me because he says he’s never been so comfortable in his life but he’s took a great fancy to Letitchia and that’s a fact—He raves about her and I won’t say I’m surprised because she’s been on the Top of her Form and making us all laugh fit to Bust. Mrs. B. says she’s laughed a lot in her life and which is a fact but she don’t think she ever laughed so much as what she has this week. She split her stays one afternoon—They went off like a Cannon—Talk about a royal Salute—And Mr. Plimmer says she’s a born actress and ought to be on the boards without delay—well, he’s taking out a company himself in a drama he’s written something after the stile of _East Lynne_ well about the same as far as I can see only a bit more East in it from what I can make out and he wants Letissia for the child and you for the Mother. He’ll write plenty of stuff for her because he says She’ll Knock Them. Well, I’m bound to say I think she will and Mrs. B’s convinsed of it: So I gave him your address and he’s going to pop up to London to-morrow if you’ll make arrangements to be in I’ve given him your address. What a voice that Kid has he said to me Mrs. Pottage. Good God it would reach to the back row of the gallery in any theatre. Well I hope this’ll be the end of all your