The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-07-29
THE MAKING OF A PLAYER.

THE MAKING OF A PLAYER.
rrsani,g . Lad For the Stage In the Days
Of Shakespeare.
John BENEFITS serial story, MAS
ter skylark," in St. Nicholas, has
many pictures of life and scenes in
Shakespeare's time. The following
Ii an account of the training of the
hero for the stage by the master
player.
He had Nick learn no end of stage.
parts off by heart, with their cues
and business, entrances and ex-
its, and worked fully as hard as his
pupil, reading over every sentence
30 times until Nick had the accent
perfectly. He would have him
stamp, too, and turn about and
eesture in accordance with the
speech, until the boys arms aehed,
going with him through the mo-
tons one by one, over and over
again, unsatisfied, but patient to
the last, until Nick wondered.
"Nick, my lad" he would often
say, with a tired but determined
smile, lone little thing done wrong
may spoil the finest play, as one bad
apple rots the barrelful. Well have
II right, OF not at oil, if it takes q
month O. Sundays"
So often he kept Nick before a
mirror for an hour at q time, max
ing faces while he spoke his lines,
smiiag. frowniag or grimacing, as
best seemed to fit the part. until the
boy grew fAirly weary Of his own
lsoks. Thsn sometimes. more often
as the time slipped by, Carew would
clap his hands with boyish laugh
and have a pie brought and cup of
Spanish cordial For them both, de-
claring that he loved the lad with
all his heart, upon the remnant of
his honor, from which Nick knew
that he was coming on.
CGely Carew's governess was a
Mistress Agnes Anstey. BY birth
she had been Harcourt of Anker-
wyke, and therefore she was every
where esteemed fit by birth and
breeding to teach the young mind
when to bow and when to beckon.
chs came each morning to the
hossa, and Carew paid her double
shilings to see to it that Nick
learned such little tricks Of cap and
cloak as q ladys page need have,
the carriage best fitted for his place,
and how to come into a room where
great folks were; moreover, how
to back out again, bowing, and not
fall over the stools. which was no
little art, until Nick caught the
knack of peeping slyly between his
legs when he bowed.
His hairs too, was allowed to
grow long, and was combed care
fully every day by the firing wom-
an, and soon, as it was naturally
curly, it fell in rolling waves about
his neck.
On the heels of the goyerness
came M'sieu' De Fleury, who, it
was said, had been dancing master
70 Hatton, the late lord chancellor of
England, and had taught him those
tricks with his nimble heels which
had oapered him into the queens 8
good graces and so got him the
chancellorship. M'sieu' spoke
dreadful English, but danced like
the essence of agility, and taught
10th Nick and Cicely the latest Ital-
Ian coranto, playing the tune upon
his queer little fiddle.
Ccely already danced like pixie.
and laughed merrily at her COM
rade's first awkward antics, until
he flushed with embarrassment.
At that she instantly became grave,
and, when m m'sieu' had gone, came
across the room, and putting her
arm about Nick said repentantly
Don't thou mind me, Nek Father
saith the French all laugh tpo soon
st nothing, and I have caught il
from my mothers blood. A boy il
good friends with his feet as q
,sRfrl is, but thou with do beautifully,
/ know, and m'sieu' shall teach us
tie g1alisrd together"