"Of course I will, my sylphide!" And Joyful Jessy. dipped his broad hand into his pocket.

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No, no!" exclaimed Emma, "you have already been too kind. Fie, fie, 'Rina! that which the gentleman has given you is more than a halfpenny"-then, turning to the goodnatured man, she added,—“ she is too young to understand any explanation; she would value a halfpenny more than the coin you have so lavishly bestowed upon her."

"I won't take it back," said Joyful Jessy. "You must have had a hard time of it with Gyngell. I know him : he'd skin a flint, and his wife would help him. My motto is 'Live and let live!' By Jove, here's the dinner!"

And sure enough there was the dinner: a joint of hot meat, a dish of mealy potatoes, and a big dumpling. The man who brought the tray of good things told 'Rina that she would find plums in the dumpling-plums as large as her eyes, but not half as pretty.

Julius now appeared, with a boy who carried a mug of ale and a little bottle of wine.

"Bravo, bravo!" cried Joyful Jessy; "you're a capital provider! Now, Mrs. Cave," he proceeded," allow me to assist you! Knives and forks here, so; now the plates, and now a chair for 'Rina!"

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No, no! a chair for Clo'," urged the little girl.

"Oh, by all means!" said Joyful Jessy ;" and as Clo' seems to be a most important personage, we'll attend to her wants first."

Plenty of pudding for Clo', please," continued Zarina. "Hush, hush, my darling!" said Emma.

"Not for the world, ma'am !" cried the donor of the feast; "it's music, Mrs. Cave! I've not heard such music for many years. Here's to us all!" and he took a deep draught of the ale. "Ha, ha! Mr. Cave, you don't eat? Hang Care! he's a surly dog, that growls even at the sunshine. Come, come, 'you lay out too much pains for purchasing but trouble.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE next day Julius and Emma reached Preston. Their new friend had accompanied them in their journey thither, and had insisted on defraying every expense attendant upon it. Emma had not experienced such kindness since she left her adopted parents; and for her husband's and her children's sakes she felt doubly grateful to Him who had sent them help in their time of need.

It was a large and very long room into which they were introduced the morning of their first rehearsal. At one end of the apartment there was a stage fitted up, before which rows of benches were ranged for the convenience of the audience, should the actors be so fortunate as to attract any.

"Mr. and Mrs. Julius Cave!" said Joyful Jessy, waving his hand and introducing his friends to the company, who were rehearsing.

Julius and Emma were surprised to remark that the actors and actresses comprising the little company were better dressed, and of a superior class to what they had anticipated.

"My staff is small, Mr. Cave, as you doubtless perceive," observed Joyful Jessy ;-"small, but remarkably strong. Wait until you see them act."

"I have counted six-four gentlemen and two ladies," said Julius.

"Pre-cisely.

"Do you ever act?" asked Julius.

"I have often tried, sir-very often; but my attempts have all been failures."

"How so?"

Why, sir, I think that one of my failures was owing to my dress not fitting. I'll tell you all about it: we were acting in Cornwall, in a town where the people were great patrons of the drama, and where I always did very well. The dons of the place wanted the tragedy of Romeo

and Juliet,' which tragedy I couldn't give them, owing to the smallness of my company; but I offered to perform one act of 'Hamlet,' myself representing The Prince of Denmark. You see, I was up in the part, having studied it at school. Well, sir, when night came (I had a crowded audience) I couldn't get into the dress, which appeared to me to have been made for a fellow without body or limbs. However, by dint of pushing and pinching, I was at last fastened up in my black velvet vice. Egad, sir, the inquisition itself couldn't have devised a more cruel mode of torture! for, what with the pain caused by the straps and buttons cutting into my flesh, together with the general com-pression of the whole of my body, I endured an agony beyond de-scription. At last the curtain rose, and on I walked, or rather staggered. Cir-culation had almost ceased, and my hands and feet were quite swollen and numbed. When I spoke, my voice seemed to proceed from under the stage, and I became be-wildered and half insane. I felt that my face was purple, and that the people were laughing at my discomfiture. I tried to act; the stitches of my dress gave way with a crack! crack! I forgot my words, and stuck, sir-stuck in the middle of the very speech with which I had designed to e-lectrify my audience. I floundered on, flourished my arm, and my sleeve slit-burst up to my elbow."

"White shirt, of course?" suggested Julius.

Nothing of the kind, sir! Ah! you may stare. I had dispensed with the shirt in order that the dress might be something easier. But to proceed. When I dis-covered my bare arm I grew furious; and when I struggled with Horatio and the other fellow-tut, tut! I forget his name-I burstbad sewing and worse thread did their work on me,—I burst all over. In alarm I fell on my face, and, amid the screams of the audience, the green baize fell upon my disgrace. That was the end of my acting; I never had the courage to again attempt anything of the kind. I content myself by now and then singing a comic song, for which, to prevent accidents, I've had a dress made to fit me."

Julius laughed heartily.

"You see, sir," resumed Joyful Jessy, joining in the laugh, "I'm not fit for Shakspeare. Nature built me on too broad a scale. Besides, I've a bad habit of emphasising the wrong

syllable, which produces a comic effect, and which would már the finest e-locution in the world."

Julius was now called to rehearse his dance with Emma.

Evening had come. In a small room adjoining the back of the stage were seated three women, all of whom were busily engaged in the mysteries of the toilette.

"And so you have just quitted the Gyngells?" said a plump little woman, who rejoiced in the name of Mrs. Horatio Honeybun.

"Yes," replied Emma.-"Very little rouge, I suppose?" "The tiniest bit in the world, Mrs. Cave," responded Mrs. Honeybun; our footlights are not very brilliant."

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"For my part," said a languid voice, in an affected tone,— "for my part I abominate rouge; it vulgarizes one's face and spoils one's complexion. A high colour is essentially requisite when one is representing a milkmaid or such-like rustic being; but when one is acting a lady, it is the greatest mistake in the world to use the hare's foot too freely."

"I quite agree with you, Miss Montayne," said Mrs. Honeybun, "and so does my Hor."

"Of course you agree with me," said Miss Montayne; "how can you do otherwise?"

"She's so clever!" said Mrs. Honeybun, aside to Emma. 'My Hor' says that she knows everything.'

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When we were at Gyngell's," said Emma

"For Heaven's sake, Mrs. Cave!" interrupted Miss Montayne, "don't-don't mention that odious name. I had a six months' dose of it some years ago. Ugh! I shudder all

over at the remembrance of it!"

"From all I have heard of them," observed Mrs. Honeybun, "I should imagine that in joining us you have made an excellent exchange.'

"I hope it may prove such," returned Emma, sighing deeply; "however, I must speak one word in favour of the Gyngells the money was always certain with them; good business or bad, we never went without our salary."

"The money here is equally certain," said Mrs. Honeybun,

"I do not see how that can be possible," responded Emma ; "I should think nothing could be more uncertain than sharing."

"Tut! you don't seem to understand Mr. Jessamy's plan," laughed Miss Montayne.

"I ought to do so," remarked Emma, "for he explained himself pretty plainly."

"Oh, yes; he'd make you believe a great deal," said Mrs. Honeybun, as she put on her ninth petticoat.

"You alarm me!" cried Emma, changing colour and beginning to tremble.

"Not the slightest occasion for alarm, my dear Mrs. Cave," said Miss Montayne.

"Not the slightest !" chimed in Mrs. Honeybun. "Do I stick out enough? my Hor' says I don't."

"If you are any larger you'll not get through the entrances," observed Miss Montayne, "and you'll monopolize the whole of the stage."

"Hoop, brocade, powder and patches!-the prettiest costume an actress can wear," said Mrs. Honeybun, glancing at the looking-glass ;-" so, at least, my Hor' says."

"What really good dresses you wear!" said Emma; "I shall look quite shabby by your side."

"Nay, Mrs. Cave, you are too pretty and too neat to look otherwise than well;" said good-natured Mrs. Honeybun. "I assure you my Hor' has fallen desperately in love with you. Oh, he has! he says-and he's a good judge, I can tell you,- -he says, that yours is the sweetest face he ever saw."

"Nonsense!" said Emma, blushing. "I am sure Mr. Honeybun has my grateful thanks for his lavish praise; but I will show him the face of my 'Rina, and then hear what he will say."

"The little girl of whom Mr. Jessamy talks so much?" asked Miss Montayne.

"I believe he admires my little girl," responded the fond mother.

"Let him admire her as much as he pleases," said Mrs. Honeybun, "and pray, never refuse anything he may offer, for he can afford to be generous; indeed, my Hor' says that he's as rich as a lord."

"Are you speaking of Mr. Jessamy ?"