I was paramount in nursery mummeries, and in the children's charade
parties of the district, for Philip was not very reliable when steady
help was needed; but at school he became stage-manager of the
theatricals there.
I do not know that he learned to act very much better than I, and I
think Alice (who was only twelve) had twice the gift of either of us,
but every half he came back more ingenious than before in matters for
which we had neither the talent nor the tools. He glued together yards
of canvas or calico, and produced scenes and drop-curtains which were
ambitious and effective, though I thought him a little reckless both
about good drawing and good clothes. His glue-kettles and size-pots
were always steaming, his paint was on many and more inappropriate
objects than the canvas. A shilling's-worth of gilding powder went
such a long way that we had not only golden crowns and golden
sceptres, and golden chains for our dungeon, and golden wings for our
fairies, but the nursery furniture became irregularly and
unintentionally gilded, as well as nurse's stuff dress, when she sat
on a warrior's shield, which was drying in the rocking-chair.
But these were small matters.
Pages:
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174