"There is only one phenomenon, sir," replied Mr. Crummles impressively, "and that 's girl."

a

"Very true," said Nicholas. "I beg your pardon. Then I don't know what it is, I am sure."

66

66

What should you say to a young lady from London?" inquired Mr. Crummles. Miss So-and-so, of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane?” “I should say she would look very well in the bills," said Nicholas.

66

"You're about right, there," said Mr. Crummles, "and if you had said she would look very well upon the stage too, you wouldn't have been far out. Look here; what do you think of this?”

With this inquiry Mr. Crummles unfolded a red poster, and a blue poster, and a yellow poster, at the top of each of which public notification was inscribed in enormous characters "First appearance of the unrivalled Miss Petowker of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane!

"Dear me!" said Nicholas, "I know that lady."

66

"Then you are acquainted with as much talent as was ever compressed into one young person's body," retorted Mr. Crummles, rolling up the bills again; that is, talent of a certain sort-of a certain sort. 'The Blood Drinker,'" added Mr. Crummles with a prophetic sigh, "The Blood Drinker' will die with that girl; and she's the only sylph I ever saw, who could stand upon one leg, and play the tambourine on her other knee, like a sylph.”

"When does she come down?"

Nicholas.

66

asked

"We expect her to-day," replied Mr. Crummles. 'She is an old friend of Mrs. Crummles's. Mrs. Crummles saw what she could do-always knew it from the first. She taught her, indeed, nearly all she knows. Mrs. Crummles was the original Blood Drinker."

"Was she, indeed?"

"Yes. though.'

She was obliged to give it up

"Did it disagree with her?" asked Nicholas. "Not so much as with her audiences," replied Mr. Crummles. "Nobody could stand it. It was too tremendous. You don't quite know what Mrs. Crummles is, yet."

Nicholas ventured to insinuate that he thought he did.

66

"No, no, you don't," said Mr. Crummles; you don't, indeed. I don't, and that's a fact. I don't think her country will, till she is dead. Some new proof of talent bursts from that astonishing woman every year of her life. Look at her, mother of six children, three of 'em alive, and all upon the stage!"

"Extraordinary!" cried Nicholas.

"Ah! extraordinary indeed," rejoined Mr. Crummles, taking a complacent pinch of snuff, and shaking his head gravely. "I pledge you my professional word I didn't even know she could dance, till her last benefit, and then she played Juliet, and Helen Macgregor, and did the skippingrope hornpipe between the pieces. The very first

time I saw that admirable woman, Johnson," said Mr. Crummles, drawing a little nearer, and speaking in the tone of confidential friendship, she stood upon her head on the butt-end of a spear, surrounded with blazing fireworks."

66

"You astonish me," said Nicholas.

"She astonished me!" returned Mr. Crummles, with a very serious countenance. "Such grace,

coupled with such dignity! I adored her from that moment!"

L

Mr. Crummles on last appearances

at a

"LET me ET me see," said Mr. Crummles, taking off his outlaw's wig, the better to arrive cool-headed view of the whole case. "Let me see. This is Wednesday night. We'll have posters out the first thing in the morning, announcing positively your last appearance for to-morrow." "But perhaps it may not be you know," said Nicholas.

66

my last appearance, Unless I am sum

moned away, I should be sorry to inconvenience you by leaving before the end of the week.”

66

So much the better," returned Mr. Crummles. "We can have positively your last appearance, on Thursday-re-engagement for one night more, on Friday-and, yielding to the wishes of numerous influential patrons, who were disappointed in obtaining seats, on Saturday. That ought to bring three very decent houses."

66

Then I am to make three last appearances, am I?" inquired Nicholas, smiling.

66

66

Yes," rejoined the manager, scratching his head with an air of some vexation; three is not enough, and it's very bungling and irregular not to have more, but if we can't help it we can't, so there's no use in talking. A novelty would be very desirable. You couldn't sing a comic song on the pony's back, could you?"

"No," replied Nicholas, "I couldn't indeed." "It has drawn money before now," said Mr. Crummles, with a look of disappointment. "What

do

66

you think of a brilliant display of fireworks?" That it would be rather expensive," replied Nicholas, drily.

66

"Eighteenpence would do it," said Mr. Crummles. You on the top of a pair of steps with the phenomenon in an attitude; 'Farewell,' on a transparency behind; and nine people at the wings with a squib in each hand-all the dozen and a half going off at once-it would be very grand-awful from the front, quite awful."

LI

Mr. Wopsle-Waldengarver-Hamlet

WE

E made all the haste we could down-stairs, but we were not quick enough either. Standing at the door was a Jewish man with an unnatural heavy smear of eyebrow, who caught my eyes as we advanced, and said, when we came up with him :

"Mr. Pip and friend?"

Identity of Mr. Pip and friend confessed.

66

Mr. Waldengarver," said the man, "would be glad to have the honour.'

66

Waldengarver?" I repeated-when Herbert murmured in my ear, "Probably Wopsle."

"Oh!" said I. "Yes. Shall we follow you?"

66

A few steps, please.' When we were in a side alley, he turned and asked, "How do you think he looked?-I dressed him."

I don't know what he had looked like, except a funeral; with the addition of a large Danish sun or star hanging round his neck by a blue ribbon, that had given him the appearance of being insured in some extraordinary Fire Office. But I said he had looked very nice.

"When he come to the grave," said our conductor, "he showed his cloak beautiful. But, judging from the wing, it looked to me that when he see the ghost in the queen's apartment, he might have made more of his stockings."

I modestly assented, and we all fell through a little dirty swing door, into a sort of hot packingcase immediately behind it. Here Mr. Wopsle was divesting himself of his Danish garments, and here there was just room for us to look at him over one another's shoulders, by keeping the packingcase door, or lid, wide open.

"Gentlemen," said Mr. Wopsle, "I am proud to see you. I hope, Mr. Pip, you will excuse my sending round. I had the happiness to know you in former times, and the Drama has ever had a claim which has ever been acknowledged, on the noble and the affluent."