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When they arrived at the music-hall, the doors for the second house were just opening, and theywalked straight into the stalls, which were very cheap. The audience made a great deal of noise, especiallyin the balcony. Mrs. Burlow led the way to the front and found two very good seats for them. Rose bought aprogramme for twopence, gave it to Mrs. Burlow, then looked about her brightly.It was a nice friendly little place, this music-hall, warmer and cosier and altogether more human than thepicture theatres she usually attended. One thing she noticed. There were very few young people there.They were nearly all about Mrs. Burlow's age. So were the attendants. So were the members of theorchestra, who soon crept into their pit, wiping their mouths. Very few of the turns were young; theythemselves, their creased and fading scenery, their worn properties, their jokes and many of their songswere getting on in years. And the loudest applause always came when a performer said he would imitate"our dear old favourite" So-and-so, and named a music-hall star that Rose had never heard of, or when asinger would tell them that the new songs were all very well in their way but that the old songs were bestand he or she would "endeavour to render" one of their old favourite ditties. The result of this was thatthough the whole place was so cosy and friendly, it was also rather sad. Youth had fled from it. There wasno bloom on anything here. Joints were stiff, eyes anxious behind the mask of paint.One turn was an eccentric fellow with a grotesque makeup, a deadwhite face and a very red nose, and hiscostume was that of a ragged tramp. He made little jokes, fell over himself, and then climbed on to the backof a chair, made more little jokes and played the accordion, Rose thought him quite funny at first, but verysoon changed her mind about him. She was sitting near enough to see his real face, peering anxiouslythrough that mask. It was old, weary, desolate. And from where she sat, she could see into the wings andstanding there, never taking her eyes off the performer, was an elderly woman, holding a dressing gown inone hand and a small medicine glass in the other. And then Rose wanted him to stop clowning for them,wanted the curtain to come down, so that he could put on that dressing gown, drink his medicine orwhatever it is, and go away with the elderly woman, and rest and not worry any more.
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