wanted the part himself; whereas it
was certainly in the best hands of the two. I was surprised to see Sir Henry
such a stick. Luckily the strength of the piece did not depend upon him. Our
Agatha was inimitable, and the duke was thought very great by many. And upon the
whole it would certainly have gone off wonderfully.«
    »It was a hard case, upon my word;« and, »I do think you were very much to
be pitied;« were the kind responses of listening sympathy.
    »It is not worth complaining about, but to be sure the poor old dowager
could not have died at a worse time; and it is impossible to help wishing, that
the news could have been suppressed for just the three days we wanted. It was
but three days; and being only a grand-mother, and all happening two hundred
miles off, I think there would have been no great harm, and it was suggested, I
know; but Lord Ravenshaw, who I suppose is one of the most correct men in
England, would not hear of it.«
    »An after-piece instead of a comedy,« said Mr. Bertram. »Lovers' Vows were
at an end, and Lord and Lady Ravenshaw left to act My Grandmother by themselves.
Well, the jointure may comfort him; and perhaps, between friends, he began to
tremble for his credit and his lungs in the Baron, and was not sorry to
withdraw; and to make you amends, Yates, I think we must raise a little theatre
at Mansfield, and ask you to be our manager.«
    This, though the thought of the moment, did not end with the moment; for the
inclination to act was awakened, and in no one more strongly than in him who was
now master of the house; and who having so much leisure as to make almost any
novelty a certain good, had likewise such a degree of lively talents and comic
taste, as were exactly adapted to the novelty of acting. The thought returned
again and again. »Oh! for the Ecclesford theatre and scenery to try something
with.« Each sister could echo the wish; and Henry Crawford, to whom, in all the
riot of his gratifications, it was yet an untasted pleasure, was quite alive at
the idea. »I really believe,« said he, »I could be fool enough at this moment to
undertake any character that ever was written, from Shylock or Richard III. down
to the singing hero of a farce in his scarlet coat and cocked