Year: 1873

I I was so thankful when the hCTTid
farce was over. Fred mad the bad
taste to laugh at it, in common, !
fancy, With nearly every every one in
the house and he told me IS We
walked home that ne did not think
much Of the man hin1 who played
the Prince. Fred was clearly ruined
by his London experience.


/ don't kaOw whether I expected
Mr.. Fawsett to speak 70 me or sign 10
me from Off the stage perhaps 1 had
no definite idear Of what ] did expect;
but had a general feeling Of disap-
pOintment, and somehow rather an
inclination to cry. Then-ah, never
shall l forget It AS We entered our
house, the first thing l saw on the
bail-t8ble was = small packet address
ed ID myself OF COpTse ! did not
know the writing, but something told
me from whom IL came. l seized II,
and leaving my aStOniShed brother,
pushed upstairs to my own room,
where, after lighting a candle, | tore
it open, and fOund-my studs return
Ell with-yes, actually 4 note from
nm ; and such Q note If he had
been 80 instead of five and twenty, it
could not have been more sensible
nor more calculated to knock the nom
sense out Of me. "He thanked me-"
so be said, ''fOr my very kind admira-
tiCn Of his acting, but could not ven


ture to accept the handsome present


! sent doubtless / should find some
friend for whom it would be better
suited. The flowers he would not re-
tgta, lat would use them that even
ing, with many thanks. he could
not recommend my adopting the
stage Is a profession until l had con-
suited my parents or other friends it
was . life full OF changes aud difficult
tiesr And that was about all not a
word OF encouragement to me through
out-c0ld, gentlemanlv, sensible, hate
ful. I sat down and burst into tears
as L read it, and, refusing Fred's en-
treaties from outside the door that 1


would go down to supper, said was
too tired, and stayed upstairs alone
in 4 very passion Of grief and mOrtifi-
cation. What dreadful troubles some
things seem at the time, that after
the lapse of a few months or years we
can afford to laugh at heartily Per-
haps I never was much more unhap-
py than was that night certainly |
am now very thankful when I think
of the sudden downfall of my wild
schemes.


Fourteen years have passed since
that memorable time, and circum-
stances have so changed with me that
it is long since 1 set foot within the
walls OF theater but ! should like
to 90 once more to a certain fashion,
able house in London, where my old
love is playing nightly before town
audience. Fourteen years it has taken
him to work his way up from
the country to the London boards; he
might well say patience was wanted
for his work.


I often wonder if the episode that
covered me with confusion in my own
eyes is ever remembered by him, and
if he has ever told it TO the charming
young actress to whom he is now mar
ried; but l am not likely ever to know
or see more of him, and can only
heartily wish him that success in his
career which he has struggled for 50
long. For myself, my passion for
theatFicals died q natural death soon
after that memorable spring. Fred
went quite away from home; and 1
felt so thoroughly ashamed of myself,
and so much afraid of being found out,
that Stunned the theater and every
thing connected with it for long
after.


Afew years ago brought forth my
studs from = corner of my
desk, and gave them to my husband,
telling him and my mother, who was
staying with us, their full and true
and, o, how numerically
they laughed at me about it,