AMONG THE PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTERS.
Matter-of-Fact Person (to her Irrelevant Friend). Here's a Millais, you see. Ophelia drowning herself.
The Irrelevant Friend (who doesn't approve of suicide). Yes, dear, very peculiar—but I don't quite like it, I must say. Do you remember whether I told SARAH to put out the fiddle-pattern forks and the best cruetstand before I came away? Dear Mr. HOMERTON is coming in to supper to-night, and I want everything to be nice for him.
The Good Young Man. There's Ophelia again, you see. (Searches for an appropriate remark.) She—ah—evidently understood the art of natation.
First Aunt. She looks almost too comfortable in the water, I think. Her mouth's open, as if she was singing.
Second Aunt (extenuatingly). Yes—but those wild roses are very naturally done—and so are her teeth.
A Discriminating Person. I like it all but the figure.
A Well-informed Person. There's the "Dream of Dante," d'ye see? No mistaking the figure of DANTE. Here he is, down below, having his dream—that's the dream in that cloud—and up above you get the dream done life-size—queer sort of idea, isn't it?
A Ponderous Person (finding himself in front of "The Vale of Rest"). Ha!—what are those two Nuns up to?
His Companion. Digging their own graves, I think.
The Pond. P. (with a supreme mental effort). Oh, Cremation, eh?
[Goes out, conceiving that he has sacrificed at the shrine of Art sufficiently for one afternoon.
Young Discount (to Young TURNOVER—before "Claudio and Isabella"). Something out of SHAKSPEARE here, you see.
Young Turnover. Yairss. (Giving Claudio a perfunctory attention.) Wants his hair raking, don't he? Not much in my line, this sort of subject.
Young Disc. Nor yet mine—takes too much time making it out, y'know. This ain't bad—"Venetian Washerwomen"—is that the way they get up linen over there?
Young Turn. (who has "done" Italy) Pretty much. (By way of excuse for them.) They're very al fresco out in those parts, y' know. Here's a Market-place in Italy, next to it. Yes, that's just like they are. They bring out all those old umbrellas and stalls and baskets twice a-week, and clear 'em all off again next day, so that you'd hardly know they'd been there!
Young Disc. (intelligently). I see. After Yarmouth style.
Young Turn. Well, something that way—only rather different style, y' know.