The Man in Possession — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

124 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. the way they were spoken which was so wonderful.” And upon reflection Kate quite agreed with him —for no one appeared to have heard the words at all. Still, the first act was stumbled through somehow, and the long wait necessitated by change of scene and dresses seemed really all too short for the numbers of things that people had to say about the performance. At least it was quite difficult to stay the buzz of tongues when the signal for the curtain to rise was again heard. Act II. left the audience in a blissful state of wonder as to ‘what it was all about;” for, with the ex- ception of Tom Rivers and Cissy Danvers, every one had forgotten their parts, because they had all agreed that the third act was the thing after all, and so had devoted themselves to making that go off brilliantly and left No. I]. to take care of itself, which it did. However, the curtain fell at last, and the comedy concluded, and the various actors and actresses were called out with a hearty indifference to any special merit or success, which was eminently gratifying. Then Kate slipped away and went behind the scenes to ‘‘make up.” She was not obliged to change her dress. The ‘‘ gowlden gown” which Biddy had so admired served her admirably. All nervous- ness and apprehension had passed away by this time. An audience so easily pleased and so charm- ingly uncritical was not likely to frighten her. When the curtain drew up on ‘ His Friend and Hers,” she was alone on the stage in the character of a newly-engaged maiden awaiting her lover. Both the maiden and her fiancé had a special friend, COMicloe (Sri C(O)