Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 311: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

————_—_ ——————— Every one behind the curtain was in high spirits; for the purpose. But when all was over—when I for a triumphant success was anticipated. had returned to Hunter Street—and when I was I will here admit that I had never at the outset | alone in my own chamber, my spirits experienced entered upon the study of a character with less | a rapid reaction: a sadness came over me—I felt satisfaction than in respect to this. I could not / for the first time as if I were not altogether satis- as it were make it my own. I could not identify | fied with myself. I thought painfully of the little myself with it. I knew that in order to render | incident which I have described in respect to the the character effective, I must in some parts throw | temporary fluttering-away of the drapery from around it a halo of sensuousness which revolted | my bosom, and of the devouring looks which that against my feelings. But I was bound by my elderly gentleman had riveted upon me. There agreement with Mr. Richards to take the part; | seemed to be something immodest and repulsive and moreover I had assented in the first instance | to the chaste ideas in the mere fact of having ex- before I had looked very deeply into it. Having | posed myself to such an occurrence,—something therefore no alternative but to appear as the | meretricious, innocent though [ really were, in the voluptuous Egyptian Queen, I studied and strove | event as if it looked like an allurement: so that I for my reputation’s sake to achieve a triumph / almost felt as if I were rightly served by the which might not be unworthy of my previous | manner in which the gentleman to whom I am successes; and I confided not to a soul the dis. | alluding had regarded me. And finally, I could taste with which I thus prepared for the perform- not help thinking that if Henry Wakefield had ance. been present, he would rather bave seen me ap- It was arranged in one part of the piece that I | pear in any other character than that which I had should appear half-reclining upon a throne, the just been enacting. immense voluptuous cushions of which rested| There was no doubt a great deal of prudish against a back supported by massive effigies in the | fastidiousness in these reflections of mine: for veritable Egyptian style. It was for this parti- | there was no more reason why my real character cular part that I had studied when Juliet so over- | should become identified or infected with the whelmed me with her compliments and her flat- | voluptuousness of Cleopatra’s, than that I should teries. And now came the moment when I was to| be looked upon as a murderess because I was ac- appear in that position. Arrayed in light but | customed to perform the part of Lady Macbeth. elegant apparel—with the diadem upon my head | But still I could not shake off those disagreeable —with my hair flowing in heavy tresses—decked | impressions ; and under their influence I sank with all the splendid jewels which I possessed— | into sleep, and holding a sceptre tipped with a star, I as- sumed a half-languid look as I thus reclined — against the immense cushions, In contravention : of the gaily given and good-humoured advice of CHAPTER LII. ‘ Juliet, I drew up the light floating robe as high as possible upon my neck: but at the very instant‘ THE MARQUIS OF TYNEDALE. when the rising of the curtain was about to reveal to me the entire audience, a current of air dis- | WueEn I awoke in the morning, it was still par- arranged the robe somewhat, suflicient to display | tially under the same influence, though to a much more of my bosom than I deemed consistent with | less degree than on the preceding night. I de- modesty. In a moment I re-arranged the offend- | scended to the breakfast-table, where I found the ing drapery; and at that very instant I caught | Normans already assembled, and deep in the sight of a tall, elderly, distinguished-looking man | perusal of the cvitigues given by the daily papers who was in the nearest stage-box, and who had his | on the representation of “ Antony and Cleopatra.” opera-glass directed towards me. The curtain was | It appeared that I was spoken of in the most rap- already sufficiently high for him to notice the little | turous terms: indeed the leading journals devoted incident to which I have alluded; and as he re-|a lengthy disquisition to a complete analysis of moved the glass, the look which he continued to| my performance of the part of the Egyptian rivet upon me brought the blushes to my cheeks. | Queen. They one and all agreed that “it was evi- However, this circumstance was soon forgotten | dent the innate modesty of the young lady herself amidst the thrilling and triumphant feelings pro- | struggled at times against a due appreciation of duced by the thunders of applause which greeted | what Cleopatra’s character really was; and though me from the crowded audience; and I resolved in | this irresistible domination of a pure and chaste my own mind that I would achieve success in this | mind over the voluptuousness which belonged to as in all previous instances. AndI did! When | the character, somewhat impaired the truthfulness the drama was concluded, I was loudly called for ; | of the impersonation, yet nevertheless the general and being led upon the stage, I experienced such a | effect was to throw the charm of an exquisite de- reception as defies all description. Bouquets were | licacy over all.’ In a word, nothing could be showered upon me ; and several of them, as I sub- | more flattering to my reputation as am actress or sequently discovered, contained presents of jewels: | to my feelings as a maiden than the style in which for I have noticed in a previous chapter that this | these critigues were couched. Again did I receive was one method by which the wealthier orders | the warm congratulations of my friends the Nor- occasionally testified their approbation of aj} mans; and my spirits rose almost completely over favourite actress. the depressing influence that hac lingered behind On retiring to my dressing-room, I experienced | the reflections of the preceding night. the warmest congratulations on my success from| It was about noon—and I was in my own 298 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. tions and embellishments had been presided over} Juliet, her mother, Melissa Harrison, and three or with the spirit of taste, judgment, and liberality. | four other ladies of the company who came thither ee eee eS... ~~ _ eee GomiGcvooks;Gcom