intervals swept a smile, robbing it of its habitual sadness.

About the beginning of the second act, the mare, standing in the stable
in the rear of the theater, was disturbed in the midst of her meal by
the entrance of the young man who had quitted her in the afternoon. It
is presumed that she was saddled and bridled with exquisite care.

Having completed these preparations, Mr. Booth entered the theater by
the stage door; summoned one of the scene shifters, Mr. John Spangler,
emerged through the same door with that individual, leaving the door
open, and left the mare in his hands to be held until he (Booth) should
return. Booth who was even more fashionably and richly dressed than
usual, walked thence around to the front of the theater, and went in.
Ascending to the dress circle, he stood for a little time gazing around
upon the audience and occasionally upon the stage in his usual graceful
manner. He was subsequently observed by Mr. Ford, the proprietor of the
theater, to be slowly elbowing his way through the crowd that packed the
rear of the dress circle toward the right side, at the extremity of
which was the box where Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln and their companions were
seated. Mr. Ford casually noticed this as a slightly extraordinary
symptom of interest on the part of an actor so familiar with the routine
of the theater and the play.

The curtain had arisen on the third act, _Mrs. Mountchessington_ and
_Asa Trenchard_ were exchanging vivacious stupidities, when a young man,
so precisely resembling the one described as J. Wilkes Booth that be is
asserted to be the same, appeared before the open door of the
President's box, and prepared to enter.

The servant who attended Mr. Lincoln said politely, "this is the