For
the song it was settled that Frank Palmer should be asked, as he
would be in Fenmarket. Usually he came but once every half year, but
he had not been able, so he said, to finish all his work the last
time. The recitation Madge undertook.
The evening arrived, the room was crowded and a dozen private
carriages stood in the 'Crown and Sceptre' courtyard. Frank called
for the Hopgoods. Mrs Hopgood and Clara sat with presentation
tickets in the second row, amongst the fashionable folk; Frank and
Madge were upon the platform. Frank was loudly applauded in 'Il Mio
Tesoro,' but the loudest applause of the evening was reserved for
Madge, who declaimed Byron's 'Destruction of Sennacherib' with much
energy. She certainly looked very charming in her red gown,
harmonising with her black hair. The men in the audience were
vociferous for something more, and would not be contented until she
again came forward. The truth is, that the wily young woman had
prepared herself beforehand for possibilities, but she artfully
concealed her preparation. Looking on the ground and hesitating, she
suddenly raised her head as if she had just remembered something, and
then repeated Sir Henry Wotton's 'Happy Life.' She was again greeted
with cheers, subdued so as to be in accordance with the character of
the poem, but none the less sincere, and in the midst of them she
gracefully bowed and retired.
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