Besides Mrs. Potter, to whom she was warmly attached, Antonia had one friend, an actress at DruryLane, who had acted in Mr. Thornton's comedy of How to please her, and who had made hisdaughter's acquaintance at the wings while his play was in progress. Patty Lester was, perhaps, hardlythe kind of person a careful father would have chosen for his youthful daughter's bosom friend, forPatty was of the world worldly, and had somewhat lax notions of morality, though there wasnothing to be said against her personally. No nobleman ...
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Besides Mrs. Potter, to whom she was warmly attached, Antonia had one friend, an actress at DruryLane, who had acted in Mr. Thornton's comedy of How to please her, and who had made hisdaughter's acquaintance at the wings while his play was in progress. Patty Lester was, perhaps, hardlythe kind of person a careful father would have chosen for his youthful daughter's bosom friend, forPatty was of the world worldly, and had somewhat lax notions of morality, though there wasnothing to be said against her personally. No nobleman's name had ever been bracketed with hers inthe newspapers, nor had her character suffered from any intrigue with a brother actor. But she gaveherself no airs of superiority over her less virtuous sisters, nor was she averse to the frivolousattentions and the trifling gifts of those ancient beaux and juvenile macaronis who fluttered at theside-scenes and got in the way of the stage-carpenters.Thornton had not reared his daughter in Arcadian ignorance of evil, and he had no fear of her beinginfluenced by Miss Lester's easy views of conduct."The girl is as honest as any woman in England, but she is not a lady," he told Antonia, "and I don'twant you to imitate her. But she has a warm heart, and is always good company, so I see noobjection to your taking a dish of tea with her at her lodgings once in a way."This "once in a way" came to be once or twice a week, for Miss Lester's parlour was all that Antoniaknew of gaiety, and was a relief from the monotony of literary toil. Dearly as she loved to assist herfather's labours, there came an hour in the day when the aching hand dropped on the manuscript orthe tired eyes swam above the closely printed page; and then it was pleasant to put on her hat andrun to the Piazza, where Patty was mostly to be found at home between the morning's rehearsal andthe night's performance. Her lodgings were on a second floor overlooking the movement and gaietyof Covent Garden, where the noise of the waggons bringing asparagus from Mortlake andstrawberries from Isleworth used to sound in her dreams, hours before the indolent actress openedher eyes upon the world of reality.
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Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
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