128 A KEAN PEEP. 



subject) for folks, now-a-day, think theatricals, like politics, and 

 thereupon as freely form their judgment ; and, sure enough, " how 

 d'ye like Kean ? " met my ears almost before I met the somebody 

 speaking. " Excellently,'^ I replied, " Shy lock in the beginning — 

 Shy lock in the middle — and Snylock in the end — there, you have 

 it as logically as my friend's question — Shylock," continued I," to 

 the knife, making allowance for the accident." — " Accident ? what 

 accident ? " said the dear sensitive somebody with as much mo- 

 mentary concern as if the performer had been known ; — " Eh ? 

 what accident?" "Why do give me time, love, and I will tell 

 you. His left lip," " Eh ? what ?" interrupted she, " Oh—" " Eh ?" 

 what?" " mercy me,'^ said I, •'* how impatient" — (there was si- 

 lence) Oh — only — his left lip — mi — mi — minus his left mustachio 

 which fell off (not his ///?, mind,) just at the end of a very inter- 

 esting scene, that's all." " Go along with you," said she, (but 

 I know she did not mean it) " how you frightened me." *' That's 

 all," I repeated, " but as for Meadows, O, the boy to adolescence ! 

 and Vivash— - ay, a real Jew could not have had better old ciosh 

 or more national physiognomy— all the others, too, excellent — 

 excellent — excellent save poor Miss Hardinge, and she was, why 

 bad and could'nt come — excellent, excellent, all ! I — " Dear me," 

 said the somebody, " since you are so very much delighted, you 

 had better go again, but I thought you said that you should not 

 stop to see the Farce?" "Now, that is farcical," rejoined I, 

 " How could I possibly — see, (taking out my watch) half-past 

 ten, only, now ! " " Well really so it is," said she, " they must 

 have appeared in the play, then; a very good boy — and since 

 you have been so much to your word — you shall go again." 

 " Shall I ? " I remarked, with quickness — and then with a par- 

 ticularly steady, long continued — but very good-natured empha- 

 sis on the future verb — I concluded potentially, " well, well, 

 since your pleasure is my pleasure — so I will :" for such is exactly 

 the way of 



Old Mortality. 



