Satanstoe; Or, the Littlepage Manuscripts. A Tale of the ColonyCooper, James Fenimore
General
Satanstoe; Or, the Littlepage Manuscripts. A Tale of the Colony
Cooper, James Fenimore
Antirent War, N.Y., 1839-1846 -- Fiction
At length we reached the theatre, and were permitted to enter. All the
front seats were occupied by blacks, principally in New York liveries; that
is to say, with cuffs, collars and pocket-flaps of a cloth different from
the coat, though a few were in lace. These last belonged to the topping
families, several of which gave colours and ornaments almost as rich as
those that I understand are constantly given at home. I well remember that
two entire boxes were retained by servants, in shoulder-knots, and much
richer dresses than common, one of whom belonged to the Lt. Governor,
and the other to my Lord Loudon, who was then Commander-In-Chief. As the
company entered, these domestics disappeared, as is usual, and we all
took our seats on the benches thus retained for us. Bulstrode's care was
apparent in the manner in which he had provided for Anneke, and her party,
which, I will take it on myself to say, was one of the most striking, for
youth and good looks, that entered the house that evening.
Great was the curiosity, and deep the feeling, that prevailed, among the
younger portion of the audience in particular, as party after party was
seated, that important evening. The house was ornamented as a theatre, and
I thought it vast in extent; though Herman Mordaunt assured me it was
no great things, in that point of view, as compared with most of the
playhouses at home. But the ornaments, and the lights, and the curtain, the
pit, the boxes the gallery, were all so many objects of intense interest.
Few of us said anything; but our eyes wandered over all with a species of
delight, that I am certain can be felt in a theatre only once. Anneke's
sweet face was a picture of youthful expectation; an expectation, however,
in which intelligence and discretion had their full share. The orchestra
was said to have an undue portion of wind instruments in it; though I
perceived ladies all over the house, including those in our own box,
returning the bows of many of the musicians, who, I was told, were
_amateurs_ from the army and the drawing-rooms of the town.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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