90 DEEPER AND DEEPER:

said that such a connection was of that doubtful
character, that, spite of Jessie’s really superior nature,
the best thing would have been to have put an end
to the whole affair as soon as possible. But, as
neither I nor anybody else of great discretion was
present, the lovers made this compact, and then, the
rest of the party joining them soon afterwards, they
all adjourned to the village inn to dinner.)

It was as merry a dinner as ever was eaten by a set
of‘poor players. They ate, and drank, and sung, and
told witty anecdotes, and were ten times freer and
easier than so many lords and ladies. The host and
the hostess came to the parlour door, and listened
and laughed too, and, spite of the really serious con-
versation which had passed between him and Jessie
in the garden, Williams caught the infection of the
company’s mirth, and was as gay as any of them.
Something was said of Mr. Goodman, and Williams,
who had always maintained that he had some talent
for acting, began to mimic his grave and measured
way of speaking. His personation was called for
again and again, and he was declared quite a genius.
Bassett, they said, could not do it half as well. They
then revealed to him asecret. Anderson, who had
the talent for writing little comic pieces of one or two
acts, had written one called “ The Parson in Love,”
intended to ridicule Mr. Goodman: there was a
young actress in the piece, Lucinda, who was to
personate a puritan lady, Mrs. Tabitha T wiggem, who
was to inveigle the clergyman, and lead him into
endless fooleries. Jessie was to take this character
and Bassett was to take that of Parson Perfect—and
. it was to be given out that he was a new actor from