MABEL'S PROGRESS.

BY THE AUTHOR OF "AUNT MARGARET'S TROUBLE."

BOOK IV.

CHAPTER III. ALFRED TRESCOTT PLAYS THE
PATRON.

No such flourish of trumpets and tapping of
kid-gloved hands as encouraged young Trescott
heralded Mabel's first appearance in Dublin.
She was announced simply as Miss M. A. Bell,
from the Theatre Royal, Kilclare, and came out
in no more prominent a character than that of
Hero in Shakespeare's play of Much Ado about
Nothing. But that first attempt was sufficient
to convince Mr. Barker, the manager, that his
new recruit was an acquisition of no common
value. He at once engaged her for the season
at the munificent salary of two guineas per
week! Mabel was transported with joy and
gratitude. The great news was written at once
to Hazlehurst, and the proposal made that
Dooley and her mother should come out and
join Mabel at once. Mrs. Saxelby had already
mentioned to her daughter that Job Smith, the
man who attended to her garden, had made an
offer to rent the cottage whenever she should
be disposed to let it. There was a lodging to
be had in the square in which Mrs. Walton
lived that would suit Mabel and her mother and
Dooley. Circumstances seemed for once to
arrange themselves favourably; nothing was
wanting but Mrs. Saxelby's consent to the
scheme.

"Why, Mrs. Philip is sure not to hesitate,
Mabel," said Aunt Mary, "so anxious as she
must be to be with you again."

Mabel, however, did not feel quite so certain
about the matter. She knew that the responsibility
of making any business arrangement, even
the getting rid of such scanty furniture as still
belonged to her, would appear very terrible to
her mother. "If I could be with mamma for a
day or two, I dare say it would all be settled
very soon," said Mabel. However, she
encouraged herself to hope that Mrs. Saxelby
would resolve to make the effort.

And now began for Mabel Earnshaw—alias
Miss M. A. Bell—a period of hard, anxious,
unremitting toil. Such persons as suppose a player's
life to be one of idleness and self-indulgence, or
those stage-struck heroes and heroines who
yearn for the theatre as an escape from such
common-place elements of success in life as
patience, industry, steadiness, and attention,
would have been mightily astonished if the faithful
record of the work that Mabel put into one
week could have been brought under their
notice.

Mr. Barker soon found his account in putting
forward Miss M. A. Bell as much as possible.
And this circumstance—although, of course,
desirable for her professional advancement—had
the disadvantage of bringing down upon her head
a great deal of ill will and jealousy. With whatever
outward serenity her proud self-command
enabled her to bear it, this sometimes caused
her very real pain. It was, too, unfortunate for
Mabel that her two staunchest supporters were
both peculiarly disliked by their comrades.
These were old Jerry Shaw and Alfred Trescott.
The former, indeed, was never popular with his
fellow-actors, but was tolerated as a privileged
person whose eccentricities were licensed by long
custom, and who commanded a certain respect
by his age and the rigid honesty of his character.
But for Alfred Trescott there was but one feeling
of distrust and dislike. The insolence of his
temper, increased by prosperity to an intolerable
and overbearing arrogance, was continually
offending those around him to whom he could
dare show his real nature; and as Lady
Popham's patronage had filled his head with the
most extravagant ideas of his own importance
and the brilliant future that awaited him, he
was careless whom he wounded, or whose
animosity he excited amongst the people
connected with the Dublin theatre. "What the
devil do I care for these confounded show-folks?"
he would say, in answer to any remonstrance
from his father. "Do you suppose it matters
one straw to me what they say or think? I
don't believe, governor, that you quite understand
or realise my position yet.".

But though coarsely insolent to the rest of the
performers, he made so great a difference in his
manner to Mabel as to appear almost deferential
by contrast. Her own occupations were so
engrossing at this time, and the meditations of
her few leisure moments so far removed from any
considerations connected with Alfred Trescott,
that it was long before she became sensible of
the contrast that his behaviour to her presented
with his usual demeanour. When she did
become aware of it, far from deriving any gratification