Madam raised her voice in saying this, and nodded significantly;
but a mild snore from the other room seemed to assure her that it
was a waste of shot to fire in that direction.

Before she could continue, in came Fanny with the joyful news
that Clara Bird had invited them both to go to the theatre with her
that very evening, and would call for them at seven o'clock. Polly
was so excited by this sudden plunge into the dissipations of city
life, that she flew about like a distracted butterfly, and hardly knew
what happened, till she found herself seated before the great green
curtain in the brilliant theatre. Old Mr. Bird sat on one side, Fanny
on the other, and both let her alone, for which she was very
grateful, as her whole attention was so absorbed in the scene
around her, that she could n't talk.

Polly had never been much to the theatre; and the few plays she
had seen were the good old fairy tales, dramatized to suit young
beholders, lively, bright, and full of the harmless nonsense which
brings the laugh without the blush. That night she saw one of the
new spectacles which have lately become the rage, and run for
hundreds of nights, dazzling, exciting, and demoralizing the
spectator by every allurement French ingenuity can invent, and
American prodigality execute. Never mind what its name was, it
was very gorgeous, very vulgar, and very fashionable; so, of
course, it was much admired, and every one went to see it. At first,
Polly thought she had got into fairy-land, and saw only the
sparkling creatures who danced and sung in a world of light and
beauty; but, presently, she began to listen to the songs and
conversation, and then the illusion vanished; for the lovely