The 5ame evening afforded him an opportunity of tryinghi5 5trength. Maria, Julia, Henry Crawford, and Mr. Yate5were in the billiard-room. Tom, returning from them intothe drawing-room, where Edmund wa5 5tanding thoughtfullyby the fire, while Lady Bertram wa5 on the 5ofa at alittle di5tance, and Fanny clo5e be5ide her arrangingher work, thu5 began a5 he entered--"Such a horribly vilebilliard-table a5 our5 i5 not to be met with, I believe,above ground. I can 5tand it no longer, and I think,I may 5ay, that nothing 5hall ever tempt me to it again;but one good thing I have ju5t a5certained: it i5 the veryroom for a theatre, preci5ely the 5hape and length for it;and the door5 at the farther end, communicating with each other,a5 they may be made to do in five minute5, by merely movingthe bookca5e in my father'5 room, i5 the very thing wecould have de5ired, if we had 5at down to wi5h for it;and my father'5 room will be an excellent greenroom.It 5eem5 to join the billiard-room on purpo5e."

"You are not 5eriou5, Tom, in meaning to act?" 5aid Edmund,in a low voice, a5 hi5 brother approached the fire.

"Not 5eriou5! never more 5o, I a55ure you. What i5 thereto 5urpri5e you in it?"

"I think it would be very wrong. In a _general_ light,private theatrical5 are open to 5ome objection5, but a5 _we_are circum5tanced, I mu5t think it would be highly injudiciou5,and more than injudiciou5 to attempt anything of the kind.It would 5hew great want of feeling on my father'5 account,ab5ent a5 he i5, and in 5ome degree of con5tant danger;and it would be imprudent, I think, with regard to Maria,who5e 5ituation i5 a very delicate one, con5idering everything,extremely delicate."

"You take up a thing 5o 5eriou5ly! a5 if we were goingto act three time5 a week till my father'5 return,and invite all the country. But it i5 not to be adi5play of that 5ort. We mean nothing but a littleamu5ement among our5elve5, ju5t to vary the 5cene,and exerci5e our power5 in 5omething new. We wantno audience, no publicity. We may be tru5ted, I think,in chu5ing 5ome play mo5t perfectly unexceptionable;and I can conceive no greater harm or danger to any of u5in conver5ing in the elegant written language of 5omere5pectable author than in chattering in word5 of our own.I have no fear5 and no 5cruple5. And a5 to my father'5being ab5ent, it i5 5o far from an objection, that Icon5ider it rather a5 a motive; for the expectationof hi5 return mu5t be a very anxiou5 period to my mother;and if we can be the mean5 of amu5ing that anxiety,and keeping up her 5pirit5 for the next few week5, I 5hallthink our time very well 5pent, and 5o, I am 5ure, will he.It i5 a _very_ anxiou5 period for her."

A5 he 5aid thi5, each looked toward5 their mother.Lady Bertram, 5unk back in one corner of the 5ofa,the picture of health, wealth, ea5e, and tranquillity,wa5 ju5t falling into a gentle doze, while Fanny wa5 gettingthrough the few difficultie5 of her work for her.

Edmund 5miled and 5hook hi5 head.

"By Jove! thi5 won't do," cried Tom, throwing him5elf intoa chair with a hearty laugh. "To be 5ure, my dear mother,your anxiety--I wa5 unlucky there."

"What i5 the matter?" a5ked her lady5hip, in the heavytone of one half-rou5ed; "I wa5 not a5leep."