Being for the Benefit of Mr Vincent Crummles, andpositively his last Appearance on this Stage.

　　It was with a very sad and heavy heart, oppressed by manypainful ideas, that Nicholas retraced his steps eastward andbetook himself to the counting-house of Cheeryble Brothers.

　　Whatever the idle hopes he had suffered himself to entertain,whatever the pleasant visions which had sprung up in his mindand grouped themselves round the fair image of Madeline Bray,they were now dispelled, and not a vestige of their gaiety andbrightness remained.

　　It would be a poor compliment to Nicholas’s better nature, andone which he was very far from deserving, to insinuate that thesolution, and such a solution, of the mystery which had seemed tosurround Madeline Bray, when he was ignorant even of her name,had damped his ardour or cooled the fervour of his admiration. Ifhe had regarded her before, with such a passion as young menattracted by mere beauty and elegance may entertain, he was nowconscious of much deeper and stronger feelings. But, reverencefor the truth and purity of her heart, respect for the helplessnessand loneliness of her situation, sympathy with the trials of one soyoung and fair and admiration of her great and noble spirit, allseemed to raise her far above his reach, and, while they impartednew depth and dignity to his love, to whisper that it was hopeless.

　　‘I will keep my word, as I have pledged it to her,’ said Nicholas,manfully. ‘This is no common trust that I have to discharge, and I will perform the double duty that is imposed upon me mostscrupulously and strictly. My secret feelings deserve noconsideration in such a case as this, and they shall have none.’

　　Still, there were the secret feelings in existence just the same,and in secret Nicholas rather encouraged them than otherwise;reasoning (if he reasoned at all) that there they could do no harmto anybody but himself, and that if he kept them to himself from asense of duty, he had an additional right to entertain himself withthem as a reward for his heroism.

　　All these thoughts, coupled with what he had seen that morningand the anticipation of his next visit, rendered him a very dull andabstracted companion; so much so, indeed, that Tim Linkinwatersuspected he must have made the mistake of a figure somewhere,which was preying upon his mind, and seriously conjured him, ifsuch were the case, to make a clean breast and scratch it out,rather than have his whole life embittered by the tortures ofremorse.

　　But in reply to these considerate representations, and manyothers both from Tim and Mr Frank, Nicholas could only bebrought to state that he was never merrier in his life; and so wenton all day, and so went towards home at night, still turning overand over again the same subjects, thinking over and over again thesame things, and arriving over and over again at the sameconclusions.

　　In this pensive, wayward, and uncertain state, people are apt tolounge and loiter without knowing why, to read placards on thewalls with great attention and without the smallest idea of oneword of their contents, and to stare most earnestly through shop-windows at things which they don’t see. It was thus that Nicholas found himself poring with the utmost interest over a large play-billhanging outside a Minor Theatre which he had to pass on his wayhome, and reading a list of the actors and actresses who hadpromised to do honour to some approaching benefit, with as muchgravity as if it had been a catalogue of the names of those ladiesand gentlemen who stood highest upon the Book of Fate, and hehad been looking anxiously for his own. He glanced at the top ofthe bill, with a smile at his own dulness, as he prepared to resumehis walk, and there saw announced, in large letters with a largespace between each of them, ‘Positively the last appearance of MrVincent Crummles of Provincial Celebrity!!!’

　　‘Nonsense!’ said Nicholas, turning back again. ‘It can’t be.’

　　But there it was. In one line by itself was an announcement ofthe first night of a new melodrama; in another line by itself was anannouncement of the last six nights of an old one; a third line wasdevoted to the re-engagement of the unrivalled African Knife-swallower, who had kindly suffered himself to be prevailed uponto forego his country engagements for one week longer; a fourthline announced that Mr Snittle Timberry, having recovered fromhis late severe indisposition, would have the honour of appearingthat evening; a fifth line said that there were ‘Cheers, Tears, andLaughter!’ every night; a sixth, that that was positively the lastappearance of Mr Vincent Crummles of Provincial Celebrity.

　　‘Surely it must be the same man,’ thought Nicholas. ‘Therecan’t be two Vincent Crummleses.’

　　The better to settle this question he referred to the bill again,and finding that there was a Baron in the first piece, and thatRoberto (his son) was enacted by one Master Crummles, andSpaletro (his nephew) by one Master Percy Crummles—their last appearances—and that, incidental to the piece, was acharacteristic dance by the characters, and a castanet pas seul bythe Infant Phenomenon—her last appearance—he no longerentertained any doubt; and presenting himself at the stage-door,and sending in a scrap of paper with ‘Mr Johnson’ written thereonin pencil, was presently conducted by a Robber, with a very largebelt and buckle round his waist, and very large leather gauntletson his hands, into the presence of his former manager.

　　Mr Crummles was unfeignedly glad to see him, and starting upfrom before a small dressing-glass, with one very bushy eyebrowstuck on crooked over his left eye, and the fellow eyebrow and thecalf of one of his legs in his hand, embraced him cordially; at thesame time observing, that it would do Mrs Crummles’s heart goodto bid him goodbye before they went.

　　‘You were always a favourite of hers, Johnson,’ said Crummles,‘always were from the first. I was quite easy in my mind about youfrom that first day you dined with us. One that Mrs Crummles tooka fancy to, was sure to turn out right. Ah! Johnson, what a womanthat is!’

　　‘I am sincerely obliged to her for her kindness in this and allother respects,’ said Nicholas. ‘But where are you going,’ that youtalk about bidding goodbye?’

　　‘Haven’t you seen it in the papers?’ said Crummles, with somedignity.

　　‘No,’ replied Nicholas.

　　‘I wonder at that,’ said the manager. ‘It was among thevarieties. I had the paragraph here somewhere—but I don’tknow—oh, yes, here it is.’

　　So saying, Mr Crummles, after pretending that he thought he must have lost it, produced a square inch of newspaper from thepocket of the pantaloons he wore in private life (which, togetherwith the plain clothes of several other gentlemen, lay scatteredabout on a kind of dresser in the room), and gave it to Nicholas toread:

　　‘The talented Vincent Crummles, long favourably known tofame as a country manager and actor of no ordinary pretensions,is about to cross the Atlantic on a histrionic expedition. Crummlesis to be accompanied, we hear, by his lady and gifted family. Weknow no man superior to Crummles in his particular line ofcharacter, or one who, whether as a public or private individual,could carry with him the best wishes of a larger circle of friends.

　　Crummles is certain to succeed.’

　　‘Here’s another bit,’ said Mr Crummles, handing over a stillsmaller scrap. ‘This is from the notices to correspondents, thisone.’

　　Nicholas read it aloud. ‘“Philo-Dramaticus. Crummles, thecountry manager and actor, cannot be more than forty-three, orforty-four years of age. Crummles is not a Prussian, having beenborn at Chelsea.” Humph!’ said Nicholas, ‘that’s an oddparagraph.’

　　‘Very,’ returned Crummles, scratching the side of his nose, andlooking at Nicholas with an assumption of great unconcern. ‘Ican’t think who puts these things in. I didn’t.’

　　Still keeping his eye on Nicholas, Mr Crummles shook his headtwice or thrice with profound gravity, and remarking, that hecould not for the life of him imagine how the newspapers foundout the things they did, folded up the extracts and put them in hispocket again.

　　 ‘I am astonished to hear this news,’ said Nicholas. ‘Going toAmerica! You had no such thing in contemplation when I was withyou.’

　　‘No,’ replied Crummles, ‘I hadn’t then. The fact is that MrsCrummles—most extraordinary woman, Johnson.’ Here he brokeoff and whispered something in his ear.

　　‘Oh!’ said Nicholas, smiling. ‘The prospect of an addition toyour family?’

　　‘The seventh addition, Johnson,’ returned Mr Crummles,solemnly. ‘I thought such a child as the Phenomenon must havebeen a closer; but it seems we are to have another. She is a veryremarkable woman.’

　　‘I congratulate you,’ said Nicholas, ‘and I hope this may prove aphenomenon too.’

　　‘Why, it’s pretty sure to be something uncommon, I suppose,’

　　rejoined Mr Crummles. ‘The talent of the other three is principallyin combat and serious pantomime. I should like this one to have aturn for juvenile tragedy; I understand they want something ofthat sort in America very much. However, we must take it as itcomes. Perhaps it may have a genius for the tight-rope. It mayhave any sort of genius, in short, if it takes after its mother,Johnson, for she is an universal genius; but, whatever its genius is,that genius shall be developed.’

　　Expressing himself after these terms, Mr Crummles put on hisother eyebrow, and the calves of his legs, and then put on his legs,which were of a yellowish flesh-colour, and rather soiled about theknees, from frequent going down upon those joints, in curses,prayers, last struggles, and other strong passages.

　　While the ex-manager completed his toilet, he informed Nicholas that as he should have a fair start in America from theproceeds of a tolerably good engagement which he had beenfortunate enough to obtain, and as he and Mrs Crummles couldscarcely hope to act for ever (not being immortal, except in thebreath of Fame and in a figurative sense) he had made up hismind to settle there permanently, in the hope of acquiring someland of his own which would support them in their old age, andwhich they could afterwards bequeath to their children. Nicholas,having highly commended the resolution, Mr Crummles went onto impart such further intelligence relative to their mutual friendsas he thought might prove interesting; informing Nicholas, amongother things, that Miss Snevellicci was happily married to anaffluent young wax-chandler who had supplied the theatre withcandles, and that Mr Lillyvick didn’t dare to say his soul was hisown, such was the tyrannical sway of Mrs Lillyvick, who reignedparamount and supreme.

　　Nicholas responded to this confidence on the part of MrCrummles, by confiding to him his own name, situation, andprospects, and informing him, in as few general words as he could,of the circumstances which had led to their first acquaintance.

　　After congratulating him with great heartiness on the improvedstate of his fortunes, Mr Crummles gave him to understand thatnext morning he and his were to start for Liverpool, where thevessel lay which was to carry them from the shores of England,and that if Nicholas wished to take a last adieu of Mrs Crummles,he must repair with him that night to a farewell supper, given inhonour of the family at a neighbouring tavern; at which Mr SnittleTimberry would preside, while the honours of the vice-chair wouldbe sustained by the African Swallower.

　　 The room being by this time very warm and somewhatcrowded, in consequence of the influx of four gentlemen, who hadjust killed each other in the piece under representation, Nicholasaccepted the invitation, and promised to return at the conclusionof the performances; preferring the cool air and twilight out ofdoors to the mingled perfume of gas, orange-peel, and gunpowder,which pervaded the hot and glaring theatre.

　　He availed himself of this interval to buy a silver snuff-box—thebest his funds would afford—as a token of remembrance for MrCrummles, and having purchased besides a pair of ear-rings forMrs Crummles, a necklace for the Phenomenon, and a flamingshirt-pin for each of the young gentlemen, he refreshed himselfwith a walk, and returning a little after the appointed time, foundthe lights out, the theatre empty, the curtain raised for the night,and Mr Crummles walking up and down the stage expecting hisarrival.

　　‘Timberry won’t be long,’ said Mr Crummles. ‘He played theaudience out tonight. He does a faithful black in the last piece, andit takes him a little longer to wash himself.’

　　‘A very unpleasant line of character, I should think?’ saidNicholas.

　　‘No, I don’t know,’ replied Mr Crummles; ‘it comes off easilyenough, and there’s only the face and neck. We had a first-tragedyman in our company once, who, when he played Othello, used toblack himself all over. But that’s feeling a part and going into it asif you meant it; it isn’t usual; more’s the pity.’

　　Mr Snittle Timberry now appeared, arm-in-arm with theAfrican Swallower, and, being introduced to Nicholas, ra............