Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper Page A

and muttering about my rudeness, but it was too late by then, for the young man was inside the cabinet, his face shrouded by darkness.
    â€˜What is it?’ Anne asked in a whisper as the couple went on. ‘Was she a whore too? Is that why you didn’tspeak to her?’
    I shook my head but was not able to explain, for I was rapt, breathless, watching the stage.
    Count de’Ath bowed. From the musicians standing by the stage there came a fanfare. ‘If any person vants to examine my cabinet, he vill discover no openings or false doors, and no secret passages vere a man might hide!’
    â€˜So where is that man going to go?’ someone shouted.
    â€˜He vill disappear … be changed into air and shadow … become a ghost creature who vill travel o’er vast continents until he arrives at the land I have pledged. Only then vill he regain his right shape and substance and become a man again!’
    There was quite a stir in the audience at this.
    Count de’Ath swirled his cloak around to half hide his face. ‘I am trained in the black arts and ’ave studied at the hands of demons! Only through me can zis enchantment be achieved.’ He paused. ‘And just for the price of a soul!’ he added.
    There was another gasp at this and two gallants arrived on stage to examine the cabinet. Pronouncing it to be in no way out of the ordinary, there was another fanfare and a black curtain was pulled across the front of the box, obscuring the young man within completely from view. The Count made various strange movements over the box, there was the tinkling of bells and a puff of smoke, then the curtain was pulled open.
    It was empty. The man inside – whoever he was – had disappeared.
    Some people in the audience cried out inastonishment. The same two gallants then examined the cabinet again and, looking puzzled, pronounced that the young man had gone and they knew not where.
    Count de’Ath regarded the audience with some disdain, then gave a short bow before tipping his cabinet on to its side and wheeling it out again without another word. Some people clapped, the ’prentices cat-called, but for the most part those that had watched the performance sat in awed silence.
    Anne, too, was spellbound, staring open-mouthed at the stage. ‘A real magician. An enchanter.’
    â€˜It seems like it,’ I said, stunned.
    â€˜I’ve never seen real magic before …’
    Slowly my heart stopped pounding and regained its normal beat. It couldn’t have been Tom – of course it couldn’t. The youth on stage had been taller, thinner, the shape of his head had been different.
    And Tom was dead, I told myself sternly. No magic on earth could bring him back again. And yet … and yet …
    More entertainment arrived on stage – a man playing the bagpipes – and ten minutes later the play began, although this did not seem to make a jot of difference to the audience. They continued to walk and talk amongst themselves, calling out to compliment or jeer at the actors and actresses. The plot made no sense to me, for I was still stunned by the performance of Count de’Ath, but this did not spoil my enjoyment at being there. When Nelly came on the audience went wild, and indeed she played solely to them, calling, waving and once even neglecting her part on stage to address someone in thepit. At one time she was disguised as a boy (wearing short breeches and showing her legs, which were very slim and shapely) and when she appeared thus the whole audience rose to her, applauding wildly.
    At half-time the orange girls came round selling their wares. One sold sweetmeats, too, and we purchased two lemon suckets and were pleased to find that these were inferior to ours and looked rather limp and stale. On tasting, we discovered that they were not so succulent, either, and we decided that they could not have undergone the six days alternately steeping and