Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 30: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTEESS. TUN Wy q eo jamal ~I Juliet Norman, suddenly recovering all her wonted gaiety—escaping as it were from her seriousness, and smiling with the peculiar witchery which be- longed to her, and which best became that rich red mouth and those brilliant teeth ;—“ I have in- flicted upon you a very long tirade; and you may perhaps think it a laboured apology to account for the one fact, that I am a dancer!” « And do you like the stage?” I inquired. “Yes—it suits me well enough,” responded Juliet. “I am only employed for a portion of the year—and even then my labours are not very arduous. So yousee I have plenty of holidays; and this suits my somewhat indolent disposition. I have been very successful as a dancer; and I may say without vanity that I have made a little noise in the theatrical world—I have been well spoken of and well written of.” “How singular,’ I exclaimed, “that I never should have heard your name mentioned in con- No. 3.—ELLEN PERCY. ee ee eee as ee : ———<$<<—<—<—— nexion with these successes. I should have been so pleased !” “Thank you, my dear Ellen—I am sure you would. Itis not however at all surprising that you should have remained in the dark upon the subject But tell me, did you never hear of a certain Mademoiselle Delessert ?” “To be sure!” I ejaculated. “I remember, during the very last vacation that I spent with the deceased Mrs. Parks, I heard her speaking with some friends relative to that danseuse. They had all been to see her ; and they were in raptures. I was to have gone on another occasion : but some- thing oceurred to prevent it. Of course you know this Mademoiselle Delessert of whom you are speaking ?” “T know her as well as I know my ownself,” exclaimed Juliet, with the merriest peal of silver laughter ringing harmoniously from her lips; “ for I am Mademoiselle Delessert.” eee ead Gomichboo CS €om