Peg Woffington

miles, till at last Mr. Vane became her suitor. Besides a handsome face and person, Mr. Vane had accomplishments his rivals did not posse

utiful things, without any excess of

the tinkle of distant sheep, something that combined all these sights, and sounds, and smells-say Milton's musical picture of Eden, P. L., lib. 3, and after that "Triplet on Kew," she

e truths of heaven in heaven's own music, slipped away into the kitchen, because she preferred

give him so many opportunities, Mabel cried and embraced the dragon, and said, "Oh, mother!" The dragon, findin

Jacobuses and Queen Anne's guineas-his own hoard and his father's-then the dragon spake comfortably and sa

s the funeral, etc., left him free, galloped to Mabel, to talk of our good fortune. The dragon had done him injustice; that was not his weak point. S

r, which she played and sang prettily enough, in her quiet, lady-like way, and in a voice of honey dropping from the comb. Then she kept a keen eye upon him; and, when she discovered what dishes he liked, sh

e had told Mabel that her husband was a mortal, and not an angel, sent to her that her days and

ane would gladly have compounded by giving the man two or three thousand acres or the whole estate, if he wouldn't take less, not to rob her of her husband for a month; but she was docile,

d, Mrs. Vane became unhappy. She thought he too must feel the separation. She offered to come to him. He answered uncandidly. He urged the length, the fatigue of the journey. She was silenced; but

ns, and wrote to him, that, if he did not forbid her peremptorily,

was a jest, and did not

ing to a halt at --, she wrote to her husband that she c

Thinking his wife's letter would keep, he threw it on one side into a sort of a tray; and, after a hurried breakfast, went out of his house to the theater. He returned, as we are aware

stic of the London establishment, cutting with a pair of scissors every

or, had appointed James Burdock to keep the house, and

s heart at Willoughby. James Burdock had for some time been ruminating, and his conclusion was, t

a woman, it was he who taught her to stand close to her horse, and give him her foot and spring while he lifted her steadily but strongly into her saddle, and, when there, it was he who had

smooth, supercilious Londoner, that he deigned sometimes to converse with

elvemonth married, and nigh six mo

entertain her replies, whic

m!" said James, with an u

antime we make ourselves happy

ers happy among the

nder, superciliously, "t

ting, at last took it up and said: "Master Colander, do if y

with dilating eye. "Not a bill, Ja

ye, no. A lette

to his master; and poor James, wi

y Colander, and it so happened that the change was hardly

He opened the door reluctantly and suspiciously, and in darted a lady, whose features were concealed by a hood. She glided across the hal

e lady, removing her hood, "ha

el, I ask your pardon, m

cried Mr

and Joan? To think of their drawing you all the way here! I'll have

, James. Where is Ernest-Mr. Vane? James, is

said James,

oose, or I don't know what. Could I wait two hours there? So I came on by

, and thank you," said old

we not to meet to-day after six months?

old fellow. "If sitting down and cryi

to make acquaintance. I had rather we had been alone all this day and to-morrow. But he must not know that. No; his friends are my friends, and sh

my room? And, mind, I forbid

om, Miss

ere there is looki

in fact on a short passage leading to

James. "That i

om mistress's room, old m

the garden, with a

young beauty, who knew at bottom how little comparatively the color of her dr

ads together, and deceive us some other way. No!" thought James, with a touch of spite, "we shall see how they will all look." He argued also, that, at sight of

ff his legs. "There ye go again," said he, and he went angrily to the door

es Pomander, my hon

Jack-a-dandy!" said

g servants, implies so

ll whose senses were playing sentinel-sa

n the hou

Go-va

on. He burned to bring husband and wife together; he counted each second lost that postponed this (to him) thrilli

to this haunch, Mr. Qu

uquet, which he arranged for Mrs. Woffington in a vase at Mr. Vane's left hand. He then

t, lofty, and large-adorned in the French way with white and gold. The table was an exact oval, and at it everybody could hear what any one sa

walls from the table; the plate massive and glorious; rose-water in the hand-glasses; music crept in from the garden, deliciously subdued into what seemed a natural sound. A broad stream of southe

narl, critics of the day. This pair, with wonderful sagacity, had arrived from the street as the haunch came

esh. Mr. Vane and Mrs. Woffington were happy; he, because his conscience was asleep; and she, because she felt nothing now could shake

here! is she watching somewhere?" His brain became puzzled, and his senses were sharpened to a point; he was all eye, ear and expectation; and this was why he was the only one to hear a very slight sound behind the door we have mentioned,

e?" said he, with feigned

Vane, with re

What fortune!" t

ooks no older than he

o room on his face

ber is like old port; the more ancient h

the crusti

self, is just supportable; but, when Soaper paves the way with his hy

ing nothing but p

abandon your neighb

n't keep a civil tongue in their he

me sad. I knew this house in Lord Longueville's time; an unri

n a certain door). "Yes,

that used to be here! Longueville was a great creature, Mr. Vane. I have known him entertain a

d!" said S

for him," sa

n to his object. With a malicious twinkle in his eye, he inquired of Mr. C

her unprincipled heathen, like yourself, or Amadisses, like our worthy host." The old gentleman's face and manners were like those of a patriarch, regretting the general

er?" said Quin, whose j

art a brute,"

sir?" said

Cibber, with dig

ye was ever

, and that a rake is a fossil. What," said he, leaning as it were on every word, "if I bet you a

a dramatic exposure, because if Peggy found Mabel to all app

at; then, checking himself, he said

ring a chair, sir," said he, authoritativ

im, and thought: "Ther

dent affectation of friendly understanding: "I ran her to earth in this house not ten minutes ago. Of course

ber. "I know the run-there's the c

old beau up with a run, he said: "Mr. Cibber, age an

should quarrel with so practiced a swordsman. "Don't you see it is a

ith rage. "Let it go no furt

his shoulder, and at that touch h

l was drawn to a dispute, which, for a moment, had looked like a quarrel; while Mrs. Woffington's hand still lingered, as only a woman's hand can linger in leaving

ept Mr. Vane's. Every eye but

ew her hand, as if a s

tonishment fel

d! But she, as soon as he turned his face her way, glided up to him, with a little half-sigh, half-cry of joy, and taking him round the neck, kissed him deliciously

to take any definite shape, said, in what

, in the voice of a skylark, and s

machine; he was scarcely in a conscious stat

s right hand the chair Pomander had provided, a plate and napkin were there in a twinkling, and the wife modestly, but as a matter of co

g did not take