Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо
Войти или зарегистрироваться
Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа
Купить PRO-доступ
‘
Everybody
who
is
at
all
acquainted
with
theatrical
matters
knows
what
a
host
of
shabby
,
poverty
-
stricken
men
hang
about
the
stage
of
a
large
establishment
—
not
regularly
engaged
actors
,
but
ballet
people
,
procession
men
,
tumblers
,
and
so
forth
,
who
are
taken
on
during
the
run
of
a
pantomime
,
or
an
Easter
piece
,
and
are
then
discharged
,
until
the
production
of
some
heavy
spectacle
occasions
a
new
demand
for
their
services
.
To
this
mode
of
life
the
man
was
compelled
to
resort
;
and
taking
the
chair
every
night
,
at
some
low
theatrical
house
,
at
once
put
him
in
possession
of
a
few
more
shillings
weekly
,
and
enabled
him
to
gratify
his
old
propensity
.
Even
this
resource
shortly
failed
him
;
his
irregularities
were
too
great
to
admit
of
his
earning
the
wretched
pittance
he
might
thus
have
procured
,
and
he
was
actually
reduced
to
a
state
bordering
on
starvation
,
only
procuring
a
trifle
occasionally
by
borrowing
it
of
some
old
companion
,
or
by
obtaining
an
appearance
at
one
or
other
of
the
commonest
of
the
minor
theatres
;
and
when
he
did
earn
anything
it
was
spent
in
the
old
way
.
‘
About
this
time
,
and
when
he
had
been
existing
for
upwards
of
a
year
no
one
knew
how
,
I
had
a
short
engagement
at
one
of
the
theatres
on
the
Surrey
side
of
the
water
,
and
here
I
saw
this
man
,
whom
I
had
lost
sight
of
for
some
time
;
for
I
had
been
travelling
in
the
provinces
,
and
he
had
been
skulking
in
the
lanes
and
alleys
of
London
.
I
was
dressed
to
leave
the
house
,
and
was
crossing
the
stage
on
my
way
out
,
when
he
tapped
me
on
the
shoulder
.
Never
shall
I
forget
the
repulsive
sight
that
met
my
eye
when
I
turned
round
.
He
was
dressed
for
the
pantomimes
in
all
the
absurdity
of
a
clown
’
s
costume
.
The
spectral
figures
in
the
Dance
of
Death
,
the
most
frightful
shapes
that
the
ablest
painter
ever
portrayed
on
canvas
,
never
presented
an
appearance
half
so
ghastly
.
His
bloated
body
and
shrunken
legs
—
their
deformity
enhanced
a
hundredfold
by
the
fantastic
dress
—
the
glassy
eyes
,
contrasting
fearfully
with
the
thick
white
paint
with
which
the
face
was
besmeared
;
the
grotesquely
-
ornamented
head
,
trembling
with
paralysis
,
and
the
long
skinny
hands
,
rubbed
with
white
chalk
—
all
gave
him
a
hideous
and
unnatural
appearance
,
of
which
no
description
could
convey
an
adequate
idea
,
and
which
,
to
this
day
,
I
shudder
to
think
of
.
His
voice
was
hollow
and
tremulous
as
he
took
me
aside
,
and
in
broken
words
recounted
a
long
catalogue
of
sickness
and
privations
,
terminating
as
usual
with
an
urgent
request
for
the
loan
of
a
trifling
sum
of
money
.
I
put
a
few
shillings
in
his
hand
,
and
as
I
turned
away
I
heard
the
roar
of
laughter
which
followed
his
first
tumble
on
the
stage
.
‘
A
few
nights
afterwards
,
a
boy
put
a
dirty
scrap
of
paper
in
my
hand
,
on
which
were
scrawled
a
few
words
in
pencil
,
intimating
that
the
man
was
dangerously
ill
,
and
begging
me
,
after
the
performance
,
to
see
him
at
his
lodgings
in
some
street
—
I
forget
the
name
of
it
now
—
at
no
great
distance
from
the
theatre
.
I
promised
to
comply
,
as
soon
as
I
could
get
away
;
and
after
the
curtain
fell
,
sallied
forth
on
my
melancholy
errand
.
‘
It
was
late
,
for
I
had
been
playing
in
the
last
piece
;
and
,
as
it
was
a
benefit
night
,
the
performances
had
been
protracted
to
an
unusual
length
.
It
was
a
dark
,
cold
night
,
with
a
chill
,
damp
wind
,
which
blew
the
rain
heavily
against
the
windows
and
house
-
fronts
.
Pools
of
water
had
collected
in
the
narrow
and
little
-
frequented
streets
,
and
as
many
of
the
thinly
-
scattered
oil
-
lamps
had
been
blown
out
by
the
violence
of
the
wind
,
the
walk
was
not
only
a
comfortless
,
but
most
uncertain
one
.
I
had
fortunately
taken
the
right
course
,
however
,
and
succeeded
,
after
a
little
difficulty
,
in
finding
the
house
to
which
I
had
been
directed
—
a
coal
-
shed
,
with
one
Storey
above
it
,
in
the
back
room
of
which
lay
the
object
of
my
search
.
‘
A
wretched
-
looking
woman
,
the
man
’
s
wife
,
met
me
on
the
stairs
,
and
,
telling
me
that
he
had
just
fallen
into
a
kind
of
doze
,
led
me
softly
in
,
and
placed
a
chair
for
me
at
the
bedside
.
The
sick
man
was
lying
with
his
face
turned
towards
the
wall
;
and
as
he
took
no
heed
of
my
presence
,
I
had
leisure
to
observe
the
place
in
which
I
found
myself
.
‘
He
was
lying
on
an
old
bedstead
,
which
turned
up
during
the
day
.
The
tattered
remains
of
a
checked
curtain
were
drawn
round
the
bed
’
s
head
,
to
exclude
the
wind
,
which
,
however
,
made
its
way
into
the
comfortless
room
through
the
numerous
chinks
in
the
door
,
and
blew
it
to
and
fro
every
instant
.
There
was
a
low
cinder
fire
in
a
rusty
,
unfixed
grate
;
and
an
old
three
-
cornered
stained
table
,
with
some
medicine
bottles
,
a
broken
glass
,
and
a
few
other
domestic
articles
,
was
drawn
out
before
it
.
A
little
child
was
sleeping
on
a
temporary
bed
which
had
been
made
for
it
on
the
floor
,
and
the
woman
sat
on
a
chair
by
its
side
.
There
were
a
couple
of
shelves
,
with
a
few
plates
and
cups
and
saucers
;
and
a
pair
of
stage
shoes
and
a
couple
of
foils
hung
beneath
them
.
With
the
exception
of
little
heaps
of
rags
and
bundles
which
had
been
carelessly
thrown
into
the
corners
of
the
room
,
these
were
the
only
things
in
the
apartment
.
‘
I
had
had
time
to
note
these
little
particulars
,
and
to
mark
the
heavy
breathing
and
feverish
startings
of
the
sick
man
,
before
he
was
aware
of
my
presence
.
In
the
restless
attempts
to
procure
some
easy
resting
-
place
for
his
head
,
he
tossed
his
hand
out
of
the
bed
,
and
it
fell
on
mine
.
He
started
up
,
and
stared
eagerly
in
my
face
.
‘
"
Mr
.
Hutley
,
John
,
"
said
his
wife
;
"
Mr
.
Hutley
,
that
you
sent
for
to
-
night
,
you
know
.
"
‘
"
Ah
!
"
said
the
invalid
,
passing
his
hand
across
his
forehead
;
"
Hutley
—
Hutley
—
let
me
see
.
"
He
seemed
endeavouring
to
collect
his
thoughts
for
a
few
seconds
,
and
then
grasping
me
tightly
by
the
wrist
said
,
"
Don
’
t
leave
me
—
don
’
t
leave
me
,
old
fellow
.
She
’
ll
murder
me
;
I
know
she
will
.
"
