Marrying An Actress

Iu the winter of 1818-19 a party of bright and liv-ely yoüng people had assembled, to spetid the period of Cbristrnas festivity at a spacious old oountryseat not very far l'rom dubliil . Several of them, ladies as well as gentlemen, had alreadjr acted oreditabiy on the amateur stnge; fio they fitted ent a large hall as a theat r, and got up sevcjal standard comedies in ainanner that elioited hearty applause. Encouragod by this success, they thonght they inijiht manage one of ShakeSpeare's tragedlos ; and their ohoice feil on Boraoo and Jnliet. Thoy succeeded in casting all tho characters except one, that of Juliet herself. It was offert 1 to several youug ladies in succession ; 'out they all persistently refuBed, fearing to aitempt so arduous a part. In this dilemma some one ftiggestod an expcdient. Miss O'Neill, then in the ienith of her fame, was an actress of unblemUbed reputation, most ladyliko demeatior, and euiinent talent, whom I once saw as Juliet. She was then regarded, justly I imagine, ns the most perfect interprete of Shakespeare's embodiment of fervid passion and derotion In the daughter of Capulet that had ever appeared on the London boards ; her singular beauty admirably soconded her rare poWers, and turning tho heads of half the fashionable young men of the day. She was uuiversally respected, was often admitted to the best society, and had sereral tims assisted at private theatricals. It so happened that she was thon in Dublin, and, for the time, without an engagement. The proposal waR, to write to lier and ask her, on her own ternis, to come to them and take the part of Juliet. This was eagerly acceded to, and a letter dispatched accordingly. The part of Komeo had been assigned ' to a gentleman of fortune and family, Mr. Becher of Ballygibben, County Cork; pune encoré, as the Frenen say, for he was still on the right side of forty, and cxcelling all bis couipamons in histrionic talent. To him, as soon as the invitation had been given, dame onoof his intímate friends. " Becher," said he, " take my advice before it is too late. Throw up the part of Borneo. I daré say some one else can be round to taite 11. " Back out of the part? And why, pray? Do you think my acting ig not worthy to support Miss O'NeillVr1 " ' You act only too well, my good fellow, and identify yourself only too perfectly with the charoterg you uudertake. I know Miss O'Neill well; thre can't be a better girl, but she's dangerous. She's perfeotly bewitching in hor great rale. It is notorious that no man ever played Riruoo to her Jnliet without falling in love with her. Now I'd be sorry to see you go to the stsge for a wife. "Mairyan nctress ! and at my age! )o you take me for a fooi." "Anything but that, B&oher. I do take you for a whole-souled, splendid fellow, with little touch of romance about hiin, impressible by beauty, and ftill more alive to grace and talent, and I reslly can't make up my mind to addrees ven that glorious oreature as Mrs. Beoher.' " "Do talk sense, Toni. It' I hadn't greed to play Romeo, I'd go and offer o take the part now, just to oonvince 'on how ridiculous you are," "Well, all I hope is that the enchantess will decline." But she accepted. Becher played Romeo, 8hared thc fate of his predecessors ; was engaged within the month, aud niarried a few weeks afterwards. My father spent several days with hra at their country-seat. He was charmed with Mrs, Becher, in whom, he said, he could not detect the slightest irace of the actress. And the marriage, my father told us, seemcd to have been erainently fni túnate, though uy to that ;ime they had no ohildren. In the seqnal they had several cnildren. Mr Becher, eight years later, wus created a baronet, lired thirty year9 with bis wife, ond was Bnccseded, in 1850, by their son, Sir Henry Wrixon Bacher, tlie prtsent baronet. Lady Becher died only last winter, loved and mourned by friends and dependente : having sarvived her