A wiser woman would have taken the hint and dropped the subject.
My folly persisted in putting another question:

"Tell me, uncle. Haven't I proved that I was right when I married
my groom?"

"No, my dear. You have only proved that you are a lucky woman!"


MR. LEPEL AND THE HOUSEKEEPER

FIRST EPOCH.

THE Italians are born actors.

At this conclusion I arrived, sitting in a Roman theater--now
many years since. My friend and traveling companion, Rothsay,
cordially agreed with me. Experience had given us some claim to
form an opinion. We had visited, at that time, nearly every city
in Italy. Where-ever a theater was open, we had attended the
performances of the companies which travel from place to place;
and we had never seen bad acting from first to last. Men and
women, whose names are absolutely unknown in England, played (in
modern comedy and drama for the most part) with a general level
of dramatic ability which I have never seen equaled in the
theaters of other nations. Incapable Italian actors there must
be, no doubt. For my own part I have only discovered them, by
ones and twos, in England; appearing among the persons engaged to
support Salvini and Ristori before the audiences of London.