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The Thursday, on the evening of which Max was to
make his first appearance on any stage, arrived in due
course of time. It was a pleasant day, and a pleasant
evening—and all Martinsburg appeared to be in motion
toward the “Globe.”

The reader may fancy, that we have created this name
for dramatic point, but such is not the fact. The
“Globe” was as real, as the convent of the Sisters of
Mercy; as veritable as M. Pantoufle, or hunter John
Myers; and many persons now living will well recollect
the excellent and obliging host, Mr. Ephraim Gaither,
to whose courtesy the Martinsburgers were on this occasion
indebted for the large and commodious saloon in
which the examination of Mrs. —'s scholars and the
other exercises of the day were about to take place.

The “Globe” was a building of considerable size standing
just opposite the court-house, and had the reputation
of being the best inn, as Mr. Gaither had the reputation
of being the prince of landlords for twenty miles around.
The most remarkable thing about the tavern, however,
was its dancing-room, in which all the balls of the time
had been held. It was an apartment of extraordinary
size, taking up nearly the whole ground floor of the
building; and in this room on a platform raised some feet
above the floor, and draped with curtains, our hero was
about to make his appearance.

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All Martinsburg had assembled at the announcement—
elegantly dressed ladies, radiant with rich falling lace,
and supporting on their white foreheads curiously fashioned
towers of hair; gracefully attentive gentlemen with powdered
locks, stiff-collared coats, and silk stockings and
knee-buckles; shop-keepers, countrymen, and in the obscure
distance, behind all, no slight sprinkling of laughing
ebon faces;—such was the audience which Mr. Max,
out of his abundant good-nature, had consented to appear
before, when the regular examination was gone through
with.

The room was packed full. Conspicuous on the front
seats, eager to applaud as ever were the friends of actor,
sat father Von Horn; and Mrs. Courtlandt (behind her,
Josephine, and other of her scholars); and hunter John,
come to see little Juliet; and squeezed in one corner, Barry,
who waited, trembling, for the moment when little
Sally must appear before that vast assemblage of expectant
eyes, and go through with her part. Barry felt sure,
that he should never be able to utter a word.

The examination of the scholars, was altogether very
gratifying to the pride of Mrs. —, and of their fond
parents, who listened admiringly to their sons and daughters,
answering without mistake or hesitation complex
questions in geography, arithmetic, and even astronomy,
and algebra, and geometry.

Under the small fingers which grasped manfully the
blackboard chalk, the difficult problems in geometry, astronomy,
and algebra, “rounded with flawless demonstration.”
The “young Norvals” detailed the occupations of
their fathers, Hamlet soliloquized on human life, and all
the ills that flesh is heir to, Wolsey gave feeling advice to
Cromwell, and the little bright-faced girls laughed out their
answers to every question, as if knowledge was mere
amusement, and it was so funny in Mrs. — to think
they could be ignorant of such well-known things!

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The examination was decidedly successful, and scarcely
any scholar missed getting his or her silver medal—with
“MERIT” graven on it—which very naturally delighted
their fond parents, and made them think that Mrs. —
was the princess of school-mistresses, and then and there,
resolve to send to her their children always.

Then, the examination being ended, a large curtain
was let down before the platform; and through the vast
crowd ran a murmurous humming sound, such as some
autumn breeze arouses in the dry leaves of the forest trees.
Silks rustled, the gayly decorated forms undulated like
waves, and all awaited the moment, when the rising curtain
should reveal to them the “gentle Romeo.” Well
might little Barry hold his breath, and think how he
would feel!

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