"Don't bother," Flossy said consolingly to Burleigh as he stood in the wing, vainly endeavoring to follow the advice of Patty. "If you forget, I'll prompt you. I know the whole of your part and mine too."
Had he known that few mortals were more liable to stage-fright than Flossy herself, he might have been less comforted: as it was, he placed implicit confidence in her ability, and this gave him sufficient self-control to fix for a little his attention upon his book. The next moment, in some way, without any exact knowledge of how he got there, he found himself upon the stage, and the other players one by one going away, and leaving him in the full gaze of that sea of faces. He longed to catch them and hold them back, as each slipped into the friendly obscurity of the wings; but he stood stiff and helpless alone upon the stage with Flossy. The scene which ensued was as follows, the italics indicating what was said in a tone inaudible to the audience.
Flossy (as Waitstill Eastman). "Won't you sit down, Jonathan? You say I don't mind if I do."
Burleigh (as Jonathan Cowboy). "You say I—I don't mind if I do."
F. "Why don't you then? I'm goin' to."
B. "I'm goin' to."
F. "Don't hold your arms so stiff! So is Christmas coming. You needn't, though, if you don't want to. (Sits.) I mean to make myself comfortable. I was waiting for you to sit down."
B. "For me to sit down?"
F. "Say that!"