MAZE III.

The Theatre How we all looked forward to our long-promised treat of a visit to the Theatre! It was a new Pantomime, new actors, new dresses, new decorations, new songs and, what was more, a new house. The name of the Pantomime was "Harlequin Little Bo-Peep," and five hundred real sheep were to be introduced on the stage in the last act. But you would never believe the difficulties we had in getting into that Theatre. I never knew a house so strangely constructed. The whole evening was passed in wandering from corridor to corridor, without ever getting a sight of the stage. Fortunately, there were some very nice refreshment rooms where we could sit down and rest oursleves; but of the play itself we saw next to nothing, as we did not reach our places until the end of the last act. The Clown sang a comic song, and the Harlequin and Columbine danced beautifully; but we could not enjoy ourselves for thinking of the difficulty we should have to find our way out again after the fall of the curtain, and when all the gas would be turned off. Papa was ver angry, and declared he would write to the "Times;" but fortunately we saw in the boxes a gentleman that Papa knew, who was a great friend of the Clown, and came to the Theatre very often, and he took us out with him quite easily, without taking a single wrong turning.