Pen blushed a great deal. "His name is Captain Costigan, ma'am," he said
--"a Peninsular officer." In fact it was the Captain in a new shoot of
clothes, as he called them, and with a large pair of white kid gloves,
one of which he waved to Pendennis, whilst he laid the other sprawling
over his heart and coat-buttons. Pen did not say any more. And how was
Mrs. Pendennis to know that Mr. Costigan was the father of Miss
Fotheringay?

Mr. Hornbull, from London, was the Hamlet of the night, Mr. Bingley
modestly contenting himself with the part of Horatio, and reserving his
chief strength for William in 'Black-Eyed Susan,' which was the second
piece.

We have nothing to do with the play: except to say that Ophelia looked
lovely, and performed with admirable wild pathos laughing, weeping,
gazing wildly, waving her beautiful white arms, and flinging about her
snatches of flowers and songs with the most charming madness. What an
opportunity her splendid black hair had of tossing over her shoulders!
She made the most charming corpse ever seen; and while Hamlet and Laertes
were battling in her grave, she was looking out from the back scenes with
some curiosity towards Pen's box, and the family party assembled in it.

There was but one voice in her praise there. Mrs. Pendennis was in
ecstasies with her beauty. Little Laura was bewildered by the piece, and
the Ghost, and the play within the play (during which, as Hamlet lay at
Ophelia's knee, Pen felt that he would have liked to strangle Mr.
Hornbull), but cried out great praises of that beautiful young creature.
Pen was charmed with the effect which she produced on his mother--and the
clergyman, for his part, was exceedingly enthusiastic.