196 HUMOURS OF A FREE NIGHT. 



whole with profound attention. Barret's entrance was 

 the signal for an uproar ; but it was of a permissible 

 order. He was dressed in an entire suit of black, with 

 a black wig, and a black velvet hat, crowned with an 

 immense plume of black feathers, which, bending 

 before him, gave him very much the aspect of a 

 mourning-coach horse. Barret had some vanity and 

 some j udgment ; he was fond of applause, and deter- 

 mined (to use his own phrase) to have a belly-full. 

 He accordingly came on left hand upper entrance, and 

 cutting the boards at a right angle, paced down to the 

 stage door right hand, then wheeled sharp upon his 

 heel, and marched over to the opposite side ; his arms 

 stuck a-kimbo, his robe flying, and his feathers nod- 

 ding, in pretty accurate burlesque of the manner of 

 Mossop. His friends composing a major portion of 

 the audience, the clapping of hands, waving of hand- 

 kerchiefs, and yelling of lips that greeted him, I, 

 having no powers of expression to describe, must leave 

 to my reader's "powers of conception." 



When the tumult had a little subsided Barret began 

 to act ; but some of his more intimate acquaintance, 

 taking a dislike to his costume, interrupted him with 

 exclamations of " Paddy Barret, Paddy Barret ! " 

 Barret, however, was conscious of the proprieties of 

 his station, and, turning a dignified deaf ear to such 

 addresses, proceeded. His friends now resorted to a 

 species of notice to obtain his, which is beautifully 

 peculiar to an Irish audience — "a groan for Mr. 

 Barret." That happened, however, not to be the first 

 time he had heard it ; and as we pay little respect to 

 things we are familiar with. Barret proceeded. The 

 " darlents" were now stimulated to a decisive measure, 

 by aiming an Irish apricot at his nodding plume, and 

 shouting out, " Divvle burn ye, Paddy Barret ! will 

 ye lave off* spaking to that lady and hsten ? " The 

 potato triumphed, and the actor, walking forward to 

 the lamps, desired to be made acquainted with his 

 patrons' wishes. — "Put some powder on yourjasey, 

 you black-looking coal-haver." — " Oh ! is that all you 

 want, my jewel? why didn't you say so before ? — Put 



