John Halifax [30]
conjured up, paused suddenly, quite exhausted, and asked for a slight contribution "to help a deed of charity," there was a general rush towards him.
"No--no, my good people," said Mr. Charles, recovering his natural manner, though a little clouded, I thought, by a faint shade of remorse; "no, I will not take from any one more than a penny; and then only if they are quite sure they can spare it. Thank you, my worthy man. Thanks, my bonny young lass--I hope your sweetheart will soon be back from the wars. Thank you all, my 'very worthy and approved good masters,' and a fair harvest to you!"
He bowed them away, in a dignified and graceful manner, still standing on the hay-cart. The honest folk trooped off, having no more time to waste, and left the field in possession of Mr. Charles, his co-mate, and ourselves; whom I do not think he had as yet noticed.
He descended from the cart. His companion burst into roars of laughter; but Charles looked grave.
"Poor, honest souls!" said he, wiping his brows--I am not sure that it was only his brows--"Hang me if I'll be at this trick again, Yates."
"It was a trick then, sir," said John, advancing. "I am sorry for it."
"So am I, young man," returned the other, no way disconcerted; indeed, he seemed a person whose frank temper nothing could disconcert. "But starvation is--excuse me,--unpleasant; and necessity has no law. It is of vital consequence that I should reach Coltham to-night; and after walking twenty miles one cannot easily walk ten more, and afterwards appear as Macbeth to an admiring audience."
"You are an actor?"
"I am, please your worship--
'A poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is seen no more.'"
There was inexpressible pathos in his tone, and his fine face looked thin and worn--it did not take much to soften both John's feelings and mine towards the "poor player." Besides, we had lately been studying Shakspeare, who for the first time of reading generally sends all young people tragedy-mad.
"You acted well to-day," said John; "all the folk here took you for a methodist preacher."
"Yet I never meddled with theology--only common morality. You cannot say I did."
John thought a moment, and then answered--
"No. But what put the scheme into your head?"
"The fact that, under a like necessity, the same amusing play was played out here years ago, as I told you, by John Philip--no, I will not conceal his name, the greatest actor and the truest gentleman our English stage has ever seen--John Philip Kemble."
And he raised his hat with sincere reverence. We too had heard--at least John had--of this wonderful man.
I saw the fascination of Mr. Charles's society was strongly upon him. It was no wonder. More brilliant, more versatile talent I never saw. He turned "from grave to gay, from lively to severe"--appearing in all phases like the gentleman, the scholar, and the man of the world. And neither John nor I had ever met any one of these characters, all so irresistibly alluring at our age.
I say OUR, because though I followed where he led, I always did it of my own will likewise.
The afternoon began to wane, while we, with our two companions, yet sat talking by the brook-side. Mr. Charles had washed his face, and his travel-sore, blistered feet, and we had induced him, and the man he called Yates, to share our remnants of bread and cheese.
"Now," he said, starting up, "I am ready to do battle again, even with the Thane of Fife--who, to-night, is one Johnson, a fellow of six feet and twelve stone. What is the hour, Mr. Halifax?"
"Mr. Halifax"--(I felt pleased to hear him for the first time so entitled)--had, unfortunately, no watch among his worldly possessions, and candidly owned the fact. But he made a near guess by calculating the position of his unfailing time-piece, the sun.--It was four o'clock.
"Then I must go. Will you not retract, young gentlemen? Surely you would not lose such a rare treat as 'Macbeth,' with--I will not say my humble self--but
"No--no, my good people," said Mr. Charles, recovering his natural manner, though a little clouded, I thought, by a faint shade of remorse; "no, I will not take from any one more than a penny; and then only if they are quite sure they can spare it. Thank you, my worthy man. Thanks, my bonny young lass--I hope your sweetheart will soon be back from the wars. Thank you all, my 'very worthy and approved good masters,' and a fair harvest to you!"
He bowed them away, in a dignified and graceful manner, still standing on the hay-cart. The honest folk trooped off, having no more time to waste, and left the field in possession of Mr. Charles, his co-mate, and ourselves; whom I do not think he had as yet noticed.
He descended from the cart. His companion burst into roars of laughter; but Charles looked grave.
"Poor, honest souls!" said he, wiping his brows--I am not sure that it was only his brows--"Hang me if I'll be at this trick again, Yates."
"It was a trick then, sir," said John, advancing. "I am sorry for it."
"So am I, young man," returned the other, no way disconcerted; indeed, he seemed a person whose frank temper nothing could disconcert. "But starvation is--excuse me,--unpleasant; and necessity has no law. It is of vital consequence that I should reach Coltham to-night; and after walking twenty miles one cannot easily walk ten more, and afterwards appear as Macbeth to an admiring audience."
"You are an actor?"
"I am, please your worship--
'A poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is seen no more.'"
There was inexpressible pathos in his tone, and his fine face looked thin and worn--it did not take much to soften both John's feelings and mine towards the "poor player." Besides, we had lately been studying Shakspeare, who for the first time of reading generally sends all young people tragedy-mad.
"You acted well to-day," said John; "all the folk here took you for a methodist preacher."
"Yet I never meddled with theology--only common morality. You cannot say I did."
John thought a moment, and then answered--
"No. But what put the scheme into your head?"
"The fact that, under a like necessity, the same amusing play was played out here years ago, as I told you, by John Philip--no, I will not conceal his name, the greatest actor and the truest gentleman our English stage has ever seen--John Philip Kemble."
And he raised his hat with sincere reverence. We too had heard--at least John had--of this wonderful man.
I saw the fascination of Mr. Charles's society was strongly upon him. It was no wonder. More brilliant, more versatile talent I never saw. He turned "from grave to gay, from lively to severe"--appearing in all phases like the gentleman, the scholar, and the man of the world. And neither John nor I had ever met any one of these characters, all so irresistibly alluring at our age.
I say OUR, because though I followed where he led, I always did it of my own will likewise.
The afternoon began to wane, while we, with our two companions, yet sat talking by the brook-side. Mr. Charles had washed his face, and his travel-sore, blistered feet, and we had induced him, and the man he called Yates, to share our remnants of bread and cheese.
"Now," he said, starting up, "I am ready to do battle again, even with the Thane of Fife--who, to-night, is one Johnson, a fellow of six feet and twelve stone. What is the hour, Mr. Halifax?"
"Mr. Halifax"--(I felt pleased to hear him for the first time so entitled)--had, unfortunately, no watch among his worldly possessions, and candidly owned the fact. But he made a near guess by calculating the position of his unfailing time-piece, the sun.--It was four o'clock.
"Then I must go. Will you not retract, young gentlemen? Surely you would not lose such a rare treat as 'Macbeth,' with--I will not say my humble self--but