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ELIZA AND SHAKESPEARE.

By Barry Bain.

I led up to it, saying to Elizi, not at all in a complaining way, "Does it not seem to you a pity to let these long winter evenings run to waste ?" " Yes, dear," she replied, " I think you oucht to do something." "And yon, too. Is it not so, darling?" "There's generally some sewing or the accounts."

" Yes ; but those tilings do not exorcise the mind." "Accounts do."

" Not in the way I mean." I had now reached my point. " How would it be if I wero to" read aloud to you? I don't think you have ever heard me road aloud. You are fond of the theatre, and wo cannot often afford to go. This would make up for it. There are many men who would tell y.m that they would sooner have a pi ay reel aloud to them than see it acted in the finest theatre in the world."

" Would they '. Well—perhaps—if I were only sewing it wouldn't interrupt mo much."

I said, "That is not very graciously put, Eliza. There is a certain art in reading aloud. Some have it, and some have not. 1 do not know if I ever told you, but when I was a boy of twelve I won a prize for recitation, though several older boys were competing against me." She said that .1 had told her before several times. I continued :

" And 1 suppose that I have developed since then. A mm in our office once told me that lie thought 1 should have done well on the stage. 1 don't know whether I ever mentioned it." She said thit I had mentioned it once or twice. " I should have thought that you would have been glad of a little pleasure, innocent, profitable, and entertaining. However, if you think I am not capable of " " What do you want to read ! " " What would you like me (o read ? " " Miss Sakers lent mo this." Shn handed mo a paper-covered volume, entitled, " Tho Murglow Mystery ; or, The Stain on the Staircase " "Trash like this is not literature," I said. However, to please her, I glanced at the first page. Half an-hour later I said that I should be very sorry to read a book" of that stamp out loud. " Then why do you go on reading it to yourself.'"' "Strictly speaking, I am not reading it. lam glancing at it." When Eli/.i got up to go to bed an hour afterwards, she asked me if I was still glancing. I kept my temper. " Try not to be so infernally unreasonable," I said. "If Miss Saltera lcnd.3 us a book, it is discourteous not to look at It." -X- * *-' *

On tho following night Eliza said that sho hoped I was not going to sit up until three in the morning, wasting tho gas and ruining my health, over a book that I myself had 3aid " " And who pays for the gas ? " "Nobody's paid last quarter's yet. Mother can't do everything, and " " Well, we can talk about that some other time. To-night I am going to read aloud to you a play of Shakespe-ire's. I wonder it you even know who Shakespeare was {" " Of course 1 do." "Could you honestly say that you have over read one— only one—of his tragedies?" " No. Gould you ? " " I am to read ' Macbeth ' to you, trying to indicate by changes in my voice which character is speaking. ' I. opened the book. Eliza said sho c .uldu't think who it waa took her scissors. " I can't beam till you keep quiet," I said. " It's the second pair that's gone this week." "Very well, then," I said, shutting tho book with a bang, " I will not read aloud to you to-night at all. You may get along as you can without it." "You're sure you didn't take those scissors for anything '." she icpiied, meditatively. # * * * " Now then," 1 said, on the next night, "1 am ready to begin. The tragedy is entitled 'Macbeth.' This is tho first scone." " What is tho first scene ?" "A blasted heath." " Well, I think you might give a civil answer to a civil question. There was no occasion to use that word," " I didn't." "You did. 1 hoard if distinctly." "Do lot me explain. It's Shakespeare uses tho word. 1 was only quoting it. It merely means " "Oh, if it's Shakespeare I suppose it's all right. Nobody seems to mind what/ie says. You can go on." 1 read for some time. Eliza, in reply to my question, owned that she had enjoyed it, but sho wont to bed before her usual time. * * * *

When I was preparing to read aloud on tho following evening, I was unable to find our copy of Shakespeare. This was very annoying, as it had been a wedding present, Eliza said that she had found

her scissors, and very likely I should find the Shakespeare some other night. But 1 never did. I have thought of buying another copy, or I dare say Eliza's mother would like to give us it. Eliza thinks not.—To day.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZMAIL18960604.2.22

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1266, 4 June 1896, Page 8

Word Count
849

ELIZA AND SHAKESPEARE. New Zealand Mail, Issue 1266, 4 June 1896, Page 8

ELIZA AND SHAKESPEARE. New Zealand Mail, Issue 1266, 4 June 1896, Page 8