CHAPTER XIII

dmother,andallhappeningtwohundredmilesoff,Ithinktherewouldhavebeennogreatharm,anditwassuggested,IknowbutLordRavenshaw,whoIsupposeisoneofthemostcorrectmeninEngland,wouldnothearofit.” “Anafterpieceinsteadofacomedy,”saidMr.Bertram.“Lovers’Vowswereatanend,andLordandLadyRavenshawlefttoactMyGrandmotherbythemselves.Well,thejointuremaycomforthimandperhaps,betweenfriends,hebegantotrembleforhiscreditandhislungsintheBaron,andwasnotsorrytowithdrawandtomakeyouamends,Yates,IthinkwemustraisealittletheatreatMansfield,andaskyoutobeourmanager.” This,thoughthethoughtofthemoment,didnotendwiththemomentfortheinclinationtoactwasawakened,andinnoonemorestronglythaninhimwhowasnowmasterofthehouseandwho,havingsomuchleisureastomakealmostanynoveltyacertaingood,hadlikewisesuchadegreeoflivelytalentsandcomictaste,aswereexactlyadaptedtothenoveltyofacting.Thethoughtreturnedagainandagain.“OhfortheEcclesfordtheatreandscenerytotrysomethingwith.”EachsistercouldechothewishandHenryCrawford,towhom,inalltheriotofhisgratificationsitwasyetanuntastedpleasure,wasquitealiveattheidea.“Ireallybelieve,”saidhe,“Icouldbefoolenoughatthismomenttoundertakeanycharacterthateverwaswritten,fromShylockorRichardIIIdowntothesingingheroofafarceinhisscarletcoatandcockedhat.IfeelasifIcouldbeanythingoreverythingasifIcouldrantandstorm,orsighorcutcapers,inanytragedyorcomedyintheEnglishlanguage.Letusbedoingsomething.Beitonlyhalfaplay,anact,ascenewhatshouldpreventus?Notthesecountenances,Iamsure,”lookingtowardstheMissBertrams“andforatheatre,whatsignifiesatheatre?Weshallbeonlyamusingourselves.Anyroominthishousemightsuffice.” “Wemusthaveacurtain,”saidTomBertram“afewyardsofgreenbaizeforacurtain,andperhapsthatmaybeenough.” “Oh,quiteenough,”criedMr.Yates,“withonlyjustasidewingortworunup,doorsinflat,andthreeorfourscenestobeletdownnothingmorewouldbenecessaryonsuchaplanasthis.Formereamusementamongourselvesweshouldwantnothingmore.” “Ibelievewemustbesatisfiedwithless,”saidMaria.“Therewouldnotbetime,andotherdifficultieswouldarise.WemustratheradoptMr.Crawford’sviews,andmaketheperformance,notthetheatre,ourobject.Manypartsofourbestplaysareindependentofscenery.” “Nay,”saidEdmund,whobegantolistenwithalarm.“Letusdonothingbyhalves.Ifwearetoact,letitbeinatheatrecompletelyfittedupwithpit,boxes,andgallery,andletushaveaplayentirefrombeginningtoendsoasitbeaGermanplay,nomatterwhat,withagoodtricking,shiftingafterpiece,andafigure-dance,andahornpipe,andasongbetweentheacts.IfwedonotoutdoEcclesford,wedonothing.” “Now,Edmund,donotbedisagreeable,”saidJulia.“Nobodylovesaplaybetterthanyoudo,orcanhavegonemuchfarthertoseeone.” “True,toseerealacting,goodhardenedrealactingbutIwouldhardlywalkfromthisroomtothenexttolookattheraweffortsofthosewhohavenotbeenbredtothetrade:asetofgentlemenandladies,whohaveallthedisadvantagesofeducationanddecorumtostrugglethrough.” Afterashor