Languages & literature > Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane > Volume 3

jo The At) VE fTTURrS of
them, and they bilt fbcr much'flatter the imaginaJj
tion of fiidi a girl as me : I even feel an inclina-<:
tioh for the ftage; but that alone is not fuflicient
talent Is absolutely neceffary, and I have none f
for when I fometlmes attfcmpted tb repeat palfage*
of plays before Arfenia, (lie always found fault!
with my performance : fo that I-was difgufted at:
the profeffion.” “ Thou 'art ealily difcooraged^
(replied Phenicla) Doft thou not know that thofej
great aflrefles are commonly jealous 3 They are
ifraid (irf fpite of all their vanity) of being edip-i
fed. In (hort, I won’t take Arfenia’s word for|
thy incapacity ; for Ihe was certainly infincerer!
hay, T affure thee, without flattery, that thou art;
born for the (tage ; thotr haft genius, a free and]
graceful carriage, a fweet voice, a good cheft, and
withal a face! Ah, baggage, how many cavaliers,
wilt thou charhn, if thou turneft aflrefs !”
She plied me with more fuch feduoing difcourfey
and made me pronounce feme verfes, that T my-
-felf might judge of my capacity for acting: but
When (he heard me, it was quite another cafe ; fhei
’overwhelmed me with applaufe, and preferred mel:
•to all tHs a&reffes in Madrid. After this, ! (hootdj
have been inexeufable, had I doubted my owrii
merit. Aifenia flood impeached,: and conviiled of;
■.envy and inhneerity ; and I could not help allow-j
ing that I was an admirable fubjeft. Two a£tors„
,who happened to come in at that inftant, and be¬
fore whom Phenicia obliged me to repeat the;
verfes which I had already recited to1 her, were*
-feized With a kind Of eXtafy ;-from which they
no fooner recdlledled themfelves,‘ than they loaded
me with praife. In good earned, had the three
wagered with one another which of them’ fliould
• applaud