Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 149: what you’re looking at

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ee ee 156 ELLEN PERCY ; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS, siasm with which I was welcomed by the audi-, ances progressed ; and at the conclusion of the ence. _tragedy I was saluted with one of those demone As I was proceeding from the stage to my dress- | strations of enthusiastic applause which were by ing-room, during an interval between the Acts, I; no means strange nor rare in my professional observed a tall distinguished-looking man, standing | career. ata little distance. He was about forty years of | Mr. Richards had arranged that 1 and Mary age; and as he held his hat at the moment in his | Glentworth should play on alternate nights; so hand, I saw that he had dark hair which though | that Mary had no cause to be jealous or mortified very full at the sides, was somewhat worn away just | on account of my splendid triumph of this par- above the forehead, but only sufficiently to have | ticular evening, inasmuch as she would reap the the effect of giving greater height to that brow | reward of her own exertions on the following one. without verging on what might be termed bald-| Besides, notwithstanding the change which had of ness. He had a pale complexion and a pensive | late come over her, there was really naught of any look : his features were regular and somewhat | jealous or envious feeling in Mary’s disposition ; delicately chiselled: altogether he was decidedly | and her character was naturally too generous to a handsome man. He was dressed with the ut- | be imbued with the spirit of rivalry. She there- most elegance, and yet without the slightest fop- | fore felicitated me on the triumph which I had pery or pretension : indeed his entire air was that | achieved; and methought there was a return of of the strictest gentility. How it happened that/| her old cordiality as she expatiated for a few I observed so much of him at the moment, was / minutes upon the effect my performance had pro- because he not only stood back to make way for | duced upon her while she viewed it from a private me, but he took off his hat to bestow a salutation | box. that was alike profoundly respectful and replete| On the following day I read with unfeigned with the evidences of good breeding. It was in | satisfaction the eulogies which the dramatic criti- turning to acknowledge his politeness, that I saw | cisms in the morning journals passed upon me ; sufficient of him at the moment to note as much | and I folded them up in order to send across the as I have already placed on record, ocean to my father and Henry. While I was thus I proceeded to my dressing-room, where I was | engaged, between eleven and twelve o’clock in the speedily joined by two or three of the principal | forenoon, the parlour-maid entered bringing me 4 actresses, who congratulated me on the immense | letter. It was addressed to Miss Percy ; but the success that was attending my reappearance on the ; handwriting was unknown to me. I opened the stage. As we were conversing together, I learnt | letter, and found that it contained naught but a from an observation which fell from the lips of one | Bank of England note for a thousand pounds. of the artistes, that the tall distinguished-looking “ Ah, at last,” I ejaculated within myself, “ it gentleman whom I had just seen in the “ wings” |iscome! I really think that Mr. Macdonald has of the stage, was a baronet bearing the name of | taken his time to send it for it is just three Sir Hugh Ward. weeks since Henry and my father left England. “ T thought that you, Miss Trafford,” said one | However, I suppose the poor man wished to as- of the actresses, “ expressly stipulated that on the | sure himself that his circumstances would really evenings when you appeared, no idlers nor loungers | permit him to spare this sum at the present mo- should be admitted behind the scenes ?” ment. Ah! perhaps the person who brought it “T have invariably been in the habit of speci- | may be waiting ?’—for the missive had been de- fying to Mr. Richards that such is my wish,” I | livered by hand, and not through the medium of said; “ but I have never made it the subject of a/| the post: moreover as there was no letter of special clause in our contracts.” | advice, nor a single syllable written inside the sheet “ Oh! but don’t you know,” exclaimed another | of paper which had contained the bank-note, the actress, “Sir Hugh Ward is a member of the | idea suddenly struck me that either Mr. Mac- committee of the shareholders to whom the theatre | donald himself or one of his family had come to belongs P—and thus Mr. Richards could not very | London and was waiting to see me. well prevent him from coming behind the scenes I rang the bell—the parlour-maid reappeared once in @ way.” —and I inquired, “ Is anybody waiting ?” “It is indeed only once in a way,” remarked “ No, Miss,” answered the servant. another; “for I do not think that Sir Hugh has} ‘ Indeed!” I ejaculated, somewhat surprised. been near the theatre for the last three years. I | “ Who delivered the letter ?” have heard it said that he had been residing alto- | “ A tall, good-looking young man,” rejoined the gether on the Continent—and he only returned to | parlour-maid ; “ with light hair, I think—though London a day or two back.” I did not take particular notice of him * Here the conversation was interrupted by the “Do you think he was that Mr. Alexander necessity of separating to reappear upon the stage; | Graham? You remember 8 and on my way thither I again passed Sir Hugh “ What! the young gentleman who called just Ward, who was now conversing with Mr. Richards. | before you went to Scotland, Miss—about five He had evidently acquired the Continental habit of | weeks ago? Well, really, I cannot say—it might excessive politeness towards ladies ; and he again | be 4 took off his hat as I passed—so that I was again| ‘No matter!” I interrupted her. “I dare compelled to acknowledge his courtesy by a slight! say it was; and Mr. Graham, thinking that it inclination of the head. His dark eyes were fixed ; was too early an hour to disturb me, lost no time upon me with an expression of the most respect- | in leaving the letter, but purposes to call again.” ful admiration; and indeed there was nothing| I waited till three o’clock in the full expecta- that could possibly offend in that mute but elo- | tion of seeing Mr. Graham; for I was tolerably quent homage to my tragic fame. The perform. | sure that it must be really he who had called in —— OO OT Oe Oe eee Oe eee eee ee —S ee Se EO RNIE OOO KS (E(O)