A young man, evidently moving in a superior class to themselves, had been of essential service to the two females in protecting them from the pressure of the crowd during their progress towards the entrance.
He took a seat beside them.
After waiting patiently for some considerable time the audience began to be restive.
Many began to hammer on the boards with their feet, while others clapped their hands.
“Hush! silence! order!” exclaimed several voices.
“What are they making a noise for?” inquired Bessie, of the gentleman by her side.
“Oh! it is time the performance commenced,” he answered, “and the people are getting impatient. They ought not to do so, seeing that the performers give their services gratuitously; and that, moreover, many of them are novices, and, perhaps, appear publicly this evening for the first time.”
“Certainly,” said Mrs. Bristow. “People are so inconsiderate—so unreasonable.”
These were stereotyped phrases which the speaker was accustomed to make use of on every occasion.
The gentleman merely nodded his acquiescence to the proposition.