During fully three-quarters of an hour he stood with a large number of boys in the narrow hall-way, pushed here and there until it seemed as if he must be literally flattened like a wafer.
When the doors were finally opened he was borne by very press of numbers up three flights of dimly-lighted stairs into a not over-cleanly place, which was considerably warmer than the carrot patch in July; then down a steep incline until it seemed as if he would surely be pitched from the railing to the vast pit, the bottom of which appeared to be paved with human heads.
The theatre party from Baker’s Court was in the front row, with nothing to obstruct the view of a gaudily-painted piece of canvas, which covered—Josiah knew not what.
He did not speculate as to the possible wonders which might be behind it; for the noisy throng, the heated air, the odor of gas, and the loud buzz of conversation bewildered him to such an extent that he began to fear he should not be able to get away alive.
On one side Tom was telling of the wonderful things which would be revealed when the curtain was raised; and on the other Bob praised the scenery, or the daring of the hero whose brave deeds were to be portrayed, while Josiah listened without understanding a single word.
Then, after much stamping of feet, whistling and cat-calls, came a burst of music, and the visitor from the country began to feel more at his ease.
With elbows resting on the wooden railing, and both hands held behind his ears that not a single note from the noisy orchestra should escape, he gave himself up wholly to what he supposed was the performance, wondering not a little why Tom and Bob had said so much about hair-breadth escapes, when he could see nothing more dangerous than the brass instrument which a musician lengthened and shortened until there seemed every fear he would decapitate his neighbor.
“Is he goin’ to kill the man next to him with that brass thing?” Josiah asked in a hoarse whisper.
“Of course not,” Bob replied scornfully; “that is only one of the orchestry, an’ don’t ’mount to anything. Wait ’till the curtain goes up, an’ then your eyes’ll stick out!”
Josiah waited simply because he was forced to do so; and when the performance began, exclamations of surprise and astonishment burst from his lips, as what appeared to be a veritable forest was suddenly unfolded to view.