The boy was, of course, rather astonished at this strange answer, no less than at Harland’s strange manner; but it never occurred to him to tell any one else of what had passed. Had he done so it is just possible that what followed might have been averted. But he was young and thoughtless, and attached no great importance to his master’s words.
The piece was a great success. The principal performers acquitted themselves in a manner that evoked enthusiastic applause; and at the close of each act they were recalled. No such success had been scored in the theatre for a long time. At length the curtain fell on the conclusion of the piece, and then the packed audience manifested in the most unmistakable manner their entire gratification, and they vociferously demanded the reappearance of the f
