“Papa—Uncle Wardour, that is—read it to us last Christmas.”
“Well, I’ve seen it. Alfred and I went to it last spring with our tutor.”
“Oh! then do, pray, let us play at it. Look, there’s a little stand up there, where I have always so wanted to get up and be Hermione, and descend to the sound of slow music. There’s a musical-box in the back drawing-room that will make the music.
“Very well; but I must be the lion and bear killing the courtier.”
“O yes—very well, and I’ll be courtier; only I must get a sofa-cushion to be Perdita.”
“And where’s Bohemia?”
“Oh! the hall must be Bohemia, and the stair-carpet the sea, because then the aunts won’t hear the lion and bear roaring.”
With these precautions, the characteristic roaring and growling of lion and bear, and the shrieks of the courtier, though not absolutely unheard in the drawing-room, produced no immediate results. But in the very midst of Lady Jane’s signing her name to some paper, she gave a violent start, and dropped the pen, for they were no stage shrieks—“Ah! ah! It is coming down! Help me down! Ernest, Ernest! help me down! Ah!”—and then a great fall.
The little mahogany bracket on the wall had been mounted by the help of a chair, but it was only fixed into the plaster, being intended to hold a small lamp, and not for young ladies to stand on; so no sooner was the chair removed by which Kate had mounted, than she felt not only giddy in her elevation, but found her pedestal loosening! There was no room to jump; and Ernest, perhaps enjoying what he regarded as a girl’s foolish fright, was a good way off, endeavouring to wind up the musical-box, when the bracket gave way, and Hermione descended precipitately with anything but the sound of soft music; and as the inhabitants of the drawing-room rushed out to the rescue, her legs were seen kicking in the air upon the landing-place; Ernest looking on, not knowing whether to laugh or be dismayed.
Lord de la Poer picked her up, and sat down on the stairs with her between his knees to look her over and see whether she were hurt, or what was the matter, while she stood half sobbing with the fright and shock. He asked his son rather severely what he had been doing to her.