Page 812 - vanity-fair

sing.
The nightingale, whose melody is through the green-
wood ringing, Was silent when the boughs were bare and
winds were blowing keen: And if, Mamma, you ask of me
the reason of his singing, It is because the sun is out and all
the leaves are green.
Thus each performs his part, Mamma, the birds have
found their voices, The blowing rose a flush, Mamma, her
bonny cheek to dye; And there’s sunshine in my heart,
Mamma, which wakens and rejoices, And so I sing and
blush, Mamma, and that’s the reason why.
During the intervals of the stanzas of this ditty, the good-
natured personage addressed as Mamma by the singer, and
whose large whiskers appeared under her cap, seemed very
anxious to exhibit her maternal affection by embracing the
innocent creature who performed the daughter’s part. Ev-
ery caress was received with loud acclamations of laughter
by the sympathizing audience. At its conclusion (while the
music was performing a symphony as if ever so many birds
were warbling) the whole house was unanimous for an
encore: and applause and bouquets without end were show-
ered upon the Nightingale of the evening. Lord Steyne’s
voice of applause was loudest of all. Becky, the nightingale,
took the flowers which he threw to her and pressed them
to her heart with the air of a consummate comedian. Lord
Steyne was frantic with delight. His guests’ enthusiasm har-
monized with his own. Where was the beautiful black-eyed
Houri whose appearance in the first charade had caused
such delight? She was twice as handsome as Becky, but the

812 Vanity Fair