Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day PeopleDickens, Charles
General
Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day People
Dickens, Charles
London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
Now, ‘coming out,’ either in acting, or singing, or society, or
facetiousness, or anything else, is all very well, and remarkably
pleasant to the individual principally concerned, if he or she can but
manage to come out with a burst, and being out, to keep out, and not go
in again; but, it does unfortunately happen that both consummations are
extremely difficult to accomplish, and that the difficulties, of
getting out at all in the first instance, and if you surmount them, of
keeping out in the second, are pretty much on a par, and no slight ones
either—and so Miss Amelia Martin shortly discovered. It is a singular
fact (there being ladies in the case) that Miss Amelia Martin’s
principal foible was vanity, and the leading characteristic of Mrs.
Jennings Rodolph an attachment to dress. Dismal wailings were heard to
issue from the second-floor front of number forty-seven,
Drummond-street, George-street, Euston-square; it was Miss Martin
practising. Half-suppressed murmurs disturbed the calm dignity of the
White Conduit orchestra at the commencement of the season. It was the
appearance of Mrs. Jennings Rodolph in full dress, that occasioned
them. Miss Martin studied incessantly—the practising was the
consequence. Mrs. Jennings Rodolph taught gratuitously now and then—the
dresses were the result.
Weeks passed away; the White Conduit season had begun, and progressed,
and was more than half over. The dressmaking business had fallen off,
from neglect; and its profits had dwindled away almost imperceptibly. A
benefit-night approached; Mr. Jennings Rodolph yielded to the earnest
solicitations of Miss Amelia Martin, and introduced her personally to
the ‘comic gentleman’ whose benefit it was. The comic gentleman was all
smiles and blandness—he had composed a duet, expressly for the
occasion, and Miss Martin should sing it with him. The night arrived;
there was an immense room—ninety-seven sixpenn’orths of gin-and-water,
thirty-two small glasses of brandy-and-water, five-and-twenty bottled
ales, and forty-one neguses; and the ornamental painter’s journeyman,
with his wife and a select circle of acquaintance, were seated at one
of the side-tables near the orchestra. The concert began.
Song—sentimental—by a light-haired young gentleman in a blue coat, and
bright basket buttons—[applause]. Another song, doubtful, by another
gentleman in another blue coat and more bright basket
buttons—[increased applause]. Duet, Mr. Jennings Rodolph, and Mrs.
Jennings Rodolph, ‘Red Ruffian, retire!’—[great applause]. Solo, Miss
Julia Montague (positively on this occasion only)—‘I am a
Friar’—[enthusiasm]. Original duet, comic—Mr. H. Taplin (the comic
gentleman) and Miss Martin—‘The Time of Day.’ ‘Brayvo!—Brayvo!’ cried
the ornamental painter’s journeyman’s party, as Miss Martin was
gracefully led in by the comic gentleman. ‘Go to work, Harry,’ cried
the comic gentleman’s personal friends. ‘Tap-tap-tap,’ went the
leader’s bow on the music-desk.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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