PRELUDE
It happened that the undersigned spent the last Christmas season in a
foreign city where there were many English children.
In that city, if you wanted to give a child\'s party, you could not even
get a magic-lantern or buy Twelfth-Night characters--those funny painted
pictures of the King, the Queen, the Lover, the Lady, the Dandy, the
Captain, and so on-- with which our young ones are wont to recreate
themselves at this festive time.
My friend Miss Bunch, who was governess of a large family that lived
in the Piano Nobile of the house inhabited by myself and my young
charges (it was the Palazzo Poniatowski at Rome, and Messrs. Spillmann,
two of the best pastrycooks in Christendom, have their shop on the ground
floor): Miss Bunch, I say, begged me to draw a set of Twelfth-Night
characters for the amusement of our young people.
She is a lady of great fancy and droll imagination, and having looked
at the characters, she and I composed a history about them, which was
recited to the little folks at night, and served as our FIRESIDE
PANTOMIME.
Our juvenile audience was amused by the adventures of Giglio and
Bulbo, Rosalba and Angelica. I am bound to say the fate of the Hall
Porter created a considerable sensation; and the wrath of Countess
Gruffanuff was received with extreme pleasure.
If these children are pleased, thought I, why should not others be
amused also? In a few days Dr. Birch\'s young friends will be expected to
reassemble at Rodwell Regis, where they will learn everything that is
useful, and under the eyes of careful ushers continue the business of their
little lives.