The evening was spent by her and Preston over engravings again. Some new ones were added to the stock already chosen for tableaux4; and Preston debated with her very eagerly the various questions of characters and dresses. Daisy did not care how he arranged them, provided she only was not called upon to be Priscilla to Alexander Fish, or Esther to Hamilton Rush. "I will not, Preston—" she insisted quietly; and Preston was in difficulty; for as he truly said, it would not do to give himself all the best pieces.
The next day, after luncheon6, a general conclave7 assembled, of all the young people, to determine the respective parts and hold a little rehearsal8 by way of beginning. Mrs. Sandford was there too, but no other grown person was admitted. Preston had certainly a troublesome and delicate office in his capacity of manager.
"What are you going to give me, Preston?" said Mrs. Stanfield's lively daughter, Theresa.
"You must be Portia."
"Portia? let me see—O that's lovely! How will you dress me, Mrs. Sandford? I must be very splendid—I have just been married, and I am worth any amount of splendour. Who's to be Bassanio?—"
"George Linwood, I think. He must have dark hair, you know."
"What are wigs9 good for?" said Theresa. "But he has nothing to do but to hold the letter and throw himself backward—he's surprised, you know, and people don't stand straight when they are surprised. Only that, and to look at Portia. I guess he can do it. Once fix him and he'll stay—that's one thing. How will you dress Portia, Mrs. Sandford? Ah, let me dress her!"
"Not at all; you must be amenable10 to authority. Miss Stanfield, like everybody else."
"But what will you put on her, Mrs. Sandford? The dress is Portia."
"No, by no means; you must look with a very delicate expression, Miss
Theresa. Your face will be the picture."
"My face will depend on my dress, I know. What will it be, Mrs.
Sandford?"
"I will give you a very heavy and rich purple brocade."
"Jewels?"
"Of course. Mrs. Randolph lets us have whatever we want."
"That will do!" said Theresa, clapping her hands softly. "I am made up.
What are you going to do with Frederica?"
"She has a great part. She must be Marie Antoinette going from the revolutionary tribunal."
"De la Roche's picture!" said Theresa.
"She's not dressed at all"—remarked Frederica coldly looking at the engraving3.
"Marie Antoinette needed no dress, you know," Theresa answered.
"But she isn't handsome there."
"You will be standing11 for her," said Mrs. Sandford. "The attitude is very striking, in its proud, indignant impassiveness. You will do that well. I must dress your hair carefully, but you have just the right hair and plenty of it."
"Don't she flatter her!" whispered Theresa to Preston;—then aloud,
"How will you make up the rest of the tableau5, Preston?"
"I am going to be that old cross-eyed woman—Alexander will be one of the guards—George Linwood another, I think. Hamilton Rush must shake his fist at the queen over my head; and Theresa, you must be this nice little French girl, looking at her unfortunate sovereign with weeping eyes. Can you get a tear on your cheek?"
"Might take an uncommon12 strong spoonful of mustard—" said Theresa—"I suppose that would do it. But you are not going to let the spectators come so near as to see drops of tears, I hope?"
"No matter—your eyes and whole expression would be affected13 by the mustard; it would tell, even at a distance."
When they got through laughing, some one asked, "What is Daisy to be?"
"O, she is to be Priscilla here—I thought nobody but Daisy would care about being a Puritan; but it is her chosen character."
"It'll be a pretty tableau," said Theresa.
"And what am I to be, Preston?" said Nora.
"You are to be several things. You and Ella must be the two young princes in the tower."
"What tower?" said Nora.
There was another general laugh, and then Daisy, who was well at home in English history, pulled her little friend aside to whisper to her the story and shew her the picture.
"What are those men going to do?" said Nora.
"They are going to kill the little princes. They have got a featherbed or something there, and they are going to smother14 them while they are asleep."
"But I don't want the featherbed on top of me!" said Nora.
"No, no,—it is not to come down on you; but that is the picture; they will hold it just so; it will not come down."
"But suppose they should let it fall?"
"They will not let it fall. The picture is to have it held just so, as if they were going to smother the poor little princes the next minute."
"I think it is a horrid15 picture!" said Nora.
"But it will only last a little while. All you will have to do will be to make believe you are asleep."
"I don't want to make believe I am asleep. I would rather have my eyes open. What else am I going to be, Daisy?"
"Preston will tell. I believe—you are to be one of Queen Esther's women, to hold her up when she fainted, you know."
"Let me see. Where is it?"
Daisy obtained the picture. Nora examined it critically.
"I would like to be the king, he is so handsome. Who will be the queen?"
"I don't know yet," said Daisy.
"Are you going to have any part where you will be dressed up?"
"We shall have to be dressed for them all. We cannot wear our own dresses, you know; it would not be a picture."
"But, I mean, are you going to be dressed up with nice things?—not like this."
"This will be dressed up," said Daisy; "she will be very nicely dressed—to be one of the queen's ladies, you know."
"Daisy! Daisy!—" was now called from the larger group of counsel-takers, Daisy and Nora having separated themselves for their private discourse16. "Daisy! look here—come here! see what you are to be. You are to be an angel."
"You are to be an angel, Daisy," Theresa repeated,—"with wonderful wings made of gauze on a light frame of whalebone."
Daisy came near, looking very attentive17; if she felt any more she did not shew it in her face.
"Daisy, you will do it delightfully," said Mrs. Sandford. "Come and look. It is this beautiful picture of the Game of Life."
"What is it, ma'am?" said Daisy.
"These two figures, you see, are playing a game of chess. The stake they are playing for, is this young man's soul; he is one of the players, and this other player is the evil one. The arch-fiend thinks he has got a good move; the young man is very serious but perplexed18; and there stands his guardian19 angel watching how the game will go."
Daisy looked at the picture in silence of astonishment20. It seemed to her impossible that anybody could play at such a subject as that.
"Whom will you have for the fiend, Preston?" the lady went on.
"I will do it myself, ma'am, I think."
Daisy's "Oh no, Preston!"—brought down such a shower of laughter on all sides, that she retreated into herself a little further than ever. They pursued the subject for a while, discussing the parts and the making of the angel's wings; deciding that Daisy would do excellently well for the angel and would look the part remarkably21.
"She has a good deal that sort of expression in ordinary times," said Mrs. Sandford—"without the sadness; and that she can assume, I day say."
"I would rather not do it—" Daisy was heard to say very gently but very soberly. There was another laugh.
"Do what, Daisy? assume a look of sadness?" said Preston.
"I would rather not be the angel."
"Nobody else could do it so well," said Mrs. Sandford. "You are the very one to do it. It will be admirable."
"I should like to be the angel—" murmured Nora, low enough to have no one's attention but Daisy's. The rest were agreeing that the picture would be excellent and had just the right performers assigned to it. Daisy was puzzled. It seemed to her that Nora had a general desire for everything.
"Ella will be one of the princes in the tower," Preston went on. "Nora will be Red Riding-Hood."
"I won't be Red Riding Hood—" said Nora.
"Why not? Hoity, toity!"
"It isn't pretty. And it has no pretty dress."
"Why, it is beautiful," said Mrs. Sandford; "and the dress is to be made with an exquisite22 red cashmere cardinal23 of Mrs. Randolph's. You will make the best Red Riding-Hood here. Though Daisy would be more like the lamb the wolf was after,"—continued the lady appealing to the manager; "and you might change. Who is to be queen Esther? Nora would do that well—with her black eyes and hair—she is more of a Jewess than any other of them."
"Esther is fainting," said Preston. "Daisy's paleness will suit that best. Nora could not look faint."
"Yes, I could," said that damsel promptly24.
"You shall blow the cakes that Alfred has let burn," said Preston. "Capital! Look here, Nora. You shall be that girl taking up the burnt cakes and blowing to cool them; and you may look as fierce as you like. You will get great applause if you do that part well. Elo?se is going to be the scolding old woman. She and I divide the old women between us."
"Too bad, Preston!" said Mrs. Sandford laughing. "What else are you going to be?"
"I am going to be one of those fellows coming to murder the little princes."
"Who is Bassanio?"
"Hamilton says he will undertake that. George declines."
"Suppose we do some work, instead of so much talking," said the former person; who had hitherto been a very quiet spectator and listener. "Let us have a little practice. We shall want a good deal before we get through."
All agreed; agreed also that something in the shape of artistic25 draperies was needed for the practice. "It helps"—as Hamilton Rush remarked. So Daisy went to desire the attendance of June with all the scarfs, mantles26 and shawls which, could be gathered together. As Daisy went, she thought that she did not wish Nora to be queen Esther; she was glad Preston was firm about that.
The practising of Bassanio and Portia was so very amusing that she fairly forgot herself in laughter. So did everybody else; except Mrs. Sandford, who was intent upon draperies, and Preston whose hands held a burden of responsibility. Hamilton was a quiet fellow enough in ordinary; but now nobody was more ready for all the life of the play. He threw himself back into an attitude of irresolution27 and perplexity, with the letter in his hand which had brought the fatal news; that is, it was the make-believe letter, though it was in reality only the New York Evening Post. And Daisy thought his attitude was very absurd; but they all declared it was admirable and exactly copied from the engraving. He threw himself into all this in a moment, and was Bassanio at once; but Theresa was much too well disposed to laugh to imitate his example. And then they all laughed at Theresa, who instead of looking grave and inquiring, as Portia should, at her lord's unusual action and appearance, flung herself into position and out of position with a mirthfulness of behaviour wholly inconsistent with the character she was to personify. How they all laughed!
"What is it, Daisy?" whispered Nora.
"Why, he has got a letter,"—said Daisy.
"Is that newspaper the letter?"
"Make believe it is," said Daisy.
"But what are they doing!"
"Why, this man, Bassanio, has just got a letter that says his dearest friend is going to be killed, because he owes money that he cannot pay; and as the money was borrowed for his own sake, of course he feels very badly about it."
"But people are not killed because they cannot pay money," said Nora. "I have seen people come to papa for money, and they didn't do anything to him because he hadn't it."
"No, but—those were different times," said Daisy—"and Bassanio lived in a different country. His friend owed money to a dreadful man, who was going to cut out two pounds of his flesh to pay for it. So of course that would kill him."
"O, look at Theresa now!" said Nora.
The young lady had brought her muscles into order; and being clever enough in her merry way, she had taken the look of the character and was giving it admirably. It was hardly Theresa; her moveable face was composed to such an expression of simple inquiry28 and interest and affectionate concern. The spectators applauded eagerly; but Nora whispered,
"What does she look like that, for?"
"Why, it's the picture," said Daisy. "But what does she look so for?"
"She is Bassanio's wife—they have just got married; and she looks so because he looks so, I suppose. She does not know what is in the letter."
"Is he going to tell her?"
"Not in the picture—" said Daisy, feeling a little amused at Nora's simplicity29. "He did tell her in the story."
"But why don't we have all the story?" insisted Nora.
"O, these are only pictures, you know; that is all; people dressed up to look like pictures."
"They don't look like pictures a bit, I think," said Nora; "they look just like people."
Daisy thought so too, but had some faith in Preston's and Mrs. Sandford's powers of transforming and mystifying the present very natural appearance of the performers. However, she was beginning to be of the opinion that it was good fun even now.
"Now, Daisy,—come, we must practise putting you in position," said
Mrs. Sandford. "We will take something easy first—what shall it
be?—Come! we will try Priscilla's courtship. Where is your John Alden,
Preston?"
Preston quietly moved forward Alexander Fish and seated him. Daisy began to grow warm with trepidation30.
"You must let your hair grow, Sandie—and comb out your long curls into your neck; so,—do you see? And you will have to have a dress as much as Priscilla. This tableau will be all in the dress, Mrs. Sandford."
"We will have it. That is easy."
"Now, Alexander, look here, at the picture. Take that attitude as nearly as you can, and I will stroke you into order.—That is pretty well,—lean over a little more with that elbow on your knee,—you must be very much in earnest."
"What am I doing?" said Alexander, breaking from his prescribed attitude to turn round and face the company.
"You are making love to Priscilla; but the joke is, you have been persuaded to do it for somebody else, when all the time you would like to do it for yourself."
"I wouldn't be such a gumph as that!" muttered Alexander as he fell back into position. "Who am I, to begin with?"
"A highly respectable old Puritan. The lady was surprised at him and he came to his senses, but that is not in the picture. Now Daisy—take that chair—a little nearer;—you are to have your hand on your spinning wheel, you know; I have got a dear little old spinning wheel at home for you, that was used by my grandmother. You must look at Alexander a little severely31, for he is doing what you did not expect of him, and you think he ought to know better. That attitude is very good. But you must look at him, Daisy! Don't let your eyes go down."
There was a decided32 disposition33 to laugh among the company looking on, which might have been fatal to the Puritan picture had not Preston and Mrs. Sandford energetically crushed it. Happily Daisy was too much occupied with the difficulty of her own immediate34 situation to discover how the bystanders were affected; she did not know what was the effect of her pink little cheeks and very demure35 down-cast eyes. In fact Daisy had gone to take her place in the picture with something scarcely less than horror; only induced to do it, by her greater horror of making a fuss and so shewing the feeling which she knew would be laughed at if shewn. She shewed it now, poor child; how could she help it? she shewed it by her unusually tinged36 cheeks and by her persistent37 down-looking eyes. It was very difficult indeed to help it; for if she ventured to look at Alexander she caught impertinent little winks,—most unlike John Alden or any Puritan,—which he could execute with impunity38 because his face was mostly turned from the audience; but which Daisy took in full.
"Lift your eyes, Daisy! your eyes! Priscilla was too much astonished not to look at her lover. You may be even a little indignant, if you choose. I am certain she was."
Poor Daisy—it was a piece of the fortitude39 that belonged to her—thus urged, did raise her eyes and bent40 upon her winking41 coadjutor a look so severe in its childish distaste and disapproval42 that there was a unanimous shout of applause. "Capital, Daisy!—capital!" cried Preston. "If you only look it like that, we shall do admirably. It will be a tableau indeed. There, get up—you shall not practise any more just now."
"It will be very fine," said Mrs. Sandford.
"Daisy, I did not think you were such an actress," said Theresa.
"It would have overset me, if I had been John Alden—" remarked
Hamilton Rush.
Daisy withdrew into the background as fast as possible, and as far as possible from Alexander.
"Do you like to do it, Daisy?" whispered Nora.
"No."
"Are you going to have a handsome dress for that?"
"No."
"What sort, then?"
"Like the picture."
"Well—what is that?"
"Brown, with a white vandyke."
"Vandyke? what is a vandyke?"
"Hush," said Daisy; "let us look."
Frederica Fish was to personify Lady Jane Grey, at the moment when the nobles of her family and party knelt before her to offer her the crown. As Frederica was a fair, handsome girl, without much animation43, this part suited her; she had only to be dressed and sit still. Mrs. Sandford threw some rich draperies round her figure, and twisted a silk scarf about the back of her head; and the children exclaimed at the effect produced. That was to be a rich picture, for of course the kneeling nobles were to be in costly44 and picturesque45 attire46; and a crown was to be borne on a cushion before them. A book did duty for it just now, on a couch pillow.
"That is what I should like—" said Nora. "I want to be dressed and look so."
"You will be dressed to be one of the queen's women in Esther and
Ahasuerus, you know."
"But the queen will be dressed more—won't she?"
"Yes, I suppose she will."
"I should like to be the queen; that is what I should like to be."
Daisy made no answer. She thought she would rather Nora should not be the queen.
"Doesn't she look beautiful?" Nora went on, referring again to
Frederica.
Which Frederica did. The tableau was quite pretty, even partially47 dressed and in this off hand way as it was.
Next Mrs. Sandford insisted on dressing48 Daisy as Fortitude. She had seen perhaps a little of the child's discomposure, and wished to make her forget it. In this tableau Daisy would be quite alone; so she was not displeased49 to let the lady do what she chose with her. She stood patiently, while Mrs. Sandford wound a long shawl skilfully50 around her, bringing it into beautiful folds like those in Sir Joshua Reynolds' painting; then she put a boy's cap, turned the wrong way, on her head, to do duty for a helmet, and fixed51 a nodding plume52 of feathers in it. Daisy then was placed in the attitude of the picture, and the whole little assembly shouted with delight.
"It will do, Mrs. Sandford," said Preston.
"Isn't it pretty?" said the lady.
"And Daisy does it admirably," said Theresa. "You are a fairy at dressing, Mrs. Sandford; your fingers are better than a fairy's wand. I wish you were my godmother; I shouldn't despair to ride yet in a coach and six. There are plenty of pumpkins53 in a field near our house—and plenty of rats in the house itself. O, Mrs. Sandford! let us have Cinderella!"
"What, for a tableau?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You must ask the manager. I do not know anything about that."
Preston and Theresa and Hamilton and Alexander now went into an eager discussion of this question, and before it was settled the party discovered that it was time to break up.
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1
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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engraving
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| n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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tableaux
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| n.舞台造型，（由活人扮演的）静态画面、场面；人构成的画面或场景( tableau的名词复数 )；舞台造型；戏剧性的场面；绚丽的场景 | |
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tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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conclave
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| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
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rehearsal
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| n.排练，排演；练习 | |
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wigs
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| n.假发，法官帽( wig的名词复数 ) | |
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amenable
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| adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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smother
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| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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mantles
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| vt.&vi.覆盖（mantle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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irresolution
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| n.不决断，优柔寡断，犹豫不定 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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demure
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| adj.严肃的；端庄的 | |
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tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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41
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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49
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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50
skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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51
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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52
plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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53
pumpkins
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| n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊 | |
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