Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

86 celebrated dramatic writer who bore the name of Jingleton? I answered that I was. He then asked what I could do for him? I said he must first tell me what he wanted. It then came out that he was going to perform at the Adelphi, but that he must have a particular style of piece to introduce him; for his abilities consisted only in leaping and flitting about, or gliding along with those fin-like feet and long monkey-arms of his, at a most astonishing pace. In fact, he gave me a specimen of his powers; and I then knew what I could do for him. Miss Trafford,’’ added Mr, Jingleton, with the utmost solemnity, “you are now acquainted with the origin of that piece which took the whole town by storm I mean The Musical Musk-Rat.” “Oh, indeed!” I said, affecting to be greatly interested, so as not to wound the poor man’s feelings. ‘And you were the author , “Yes, Miss Trafford—I was the author of that wonderful piece which ran a hundred and fifty nights! I need not inform a young lady of your brilliant intelligence, that my little friend the dwarf played the part of the musk-rat.” “T thought so. But did he sing?” I inquired. “Oh, no!” exclaimed the dramatic author: “he could not singa note, But when he appeared, the orchestra played low strains. There was the musk-rat—there also was the music: imagination ascribed the melody to tke animal—and thus you had the Musical Musk-Rat!”’ “Very ingenious,’ I said: and at the same time taking out my purse, I proceeded to observe, “ And now, Mr. Jingleton ) “Ingenious indeed!” he exclaimed: “it was the plot, Miss Trafford, that was ingenious! I will give you the outline.” “ Really, my dear sir,” I said, shrinking with horror from the idea of such an infliction, “I could not think of troubling you 4 “Oh, no trouble whatsoever!” ejaculated Mr. Jingleton; “and I am convinced that you will experience a rare pleasure in listening to the out- line of this plot. The curtain, on rising, displays the gorgeous scenery of an uninhabited island, where the King surrounded by his courtiers and in the presence of crowds of his people Y “ How then,” I gently asked, ‘‘ could the island be an uninhabited one P” “Uninhabited?P Did I say uninhabited ?” cried Mr. Jingleton, catching at the word as if to re- trieve the error. “I meant to say an unknown island !” “Well, pray proceed,” I said; “ though I am at a loss to comprehend how you could be supposed to discover what was going on in an unknown island P” “Oh, Miss Trafford! you who have so perfect an experience of the stage, not to admit how much is left in that sphere to the imagination! When once the fancy can bring itself to believe that a stage of wooden boards constitutes a spot of earth, and that there is any reality in the wooden trees at the sides, the wooden waterfall at the end, and the wooden clouds overhead—surely Miss Trafford, I say, if an audience can sit patiently and com- fortably, and delude itself thus far, if may also fancy that an island is unkaown to all the rest of the world P” “True, Mr. Jingleton,” I said, beginning to get ———— eS eee ee ett tc ALA cS ema | startling effect. ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. ee wearied of his tediousness. ‘‘ And now will you da me the favour to accept of this bank-note a * Miss Trafford, a thousand, thousand thanks !” exclaimed the delighted author, as he received the note for five pounds which I placed in his hand. “You know not half the service you have done me! My baker’s bill shall now be liquidated— my butcher’s also; from the cobbler’s hands the boots I sent to sole shall be released : comfort shall likewise be infused into my washerwoman’s soul ; and from the spout my Sunday raiment soon shall be redeemed !” : Thus did Mr. Jingleton address me with theatri- cal declamation and outstretched arm. Again it was with the greatest difficulty I could prevent myself from smiling: but 1 succeeded in keeping my countenance ; and when I beheld him earefully consign the bank-note to a greasy old pocket-book containing playbills and memoranda written on dirty paper, I was in hopes that he was about to take his departure. But nothipge of the kind !— for on abruptly turning towards me, he exclaimed, “ Now, Miss Trafford, for the plot of my celebrated piece !” “Pray, Mr. Jingleton,” I said, “do not give yourself the trouble. And then too,” I added, looking at my watch, “my own time is pre- cious 4 " “ Everybody’s time is precious, Miss Trafford !” exclaimed the visitor. “ But IL could not possibly think of taking my departure before I had ful- filled my promise of giving you the outline of that remarkable and extraordinary drama.” I thought it best to resign myself to my fate, as it was evident that Mr. Jingleton was inexora- bly bent upon this cruel infliction. So I sat and listened. “The first scene,” resumed Mr. Jingleton, “ dis- closes the King of the Unknown Island, attended by his courtiers and by an immense crowd of his loyal subjects. By the bye, the Adelphi manage- ment was liberal in respect to the crowd: if con- sisted of three men and a boy, and produced a Well, the King—who of course is very splendidly dressed, in robes of purple, orange, 'red, and green, all spangled, with a crown on his head and a sceptre in his hand—begins by telling his courtiers and his people that he is ninety years of age, that he has reigned over them for exactly sixty years, that he had the misfortune to lose his Queen (here he weeps) fifty years ago P ) “ His grief, then,” [could not help observing, “had lasted exactly half a century P” “Tt shows how faithful the good old King was to the memory of his beloved Queen,” responded | Mr. Jingleton. “ But I was about to describe how the King went on to inform his courtiers and his | people that the only living scion of his race was his_ | beautiful granddaughter, the Princess Mimosetta, | exactly sixteen years of age and a perfect miracle of loveliness.” “ Of course,” Linterjected, “ this good King of . your’s was telling his courtiers and his subjects all this for the same reason that Puff gives in the | Critic ?” “ Precisely so, Miss Trafford. The courtiers and the subjects must have known very well before- hand everything the King was telling them: bué the audience at the Adelphi knew nothing about it. Well, his gracious Majesty proceeds to inform * — ee Gomichboo (E(o)