He was rather a low sort of pony. The fact is, he had been originally jobbed out by the day, and he never quite got over his old habits. He was clever in melodrama too, but too broad--too broad. When the mother died, he took the port-wine business.''The port-wine business!' cried Nicholas.'Drinking port-wine with the clown,' said the manager; 'but he was greedy, and one night bit off the bowl of the glass, and choked himself, so his vulgarity was the death of him at last.

Summary

This quote is from the character of the manager describing a pony in the context of a performance. The manager explains that the pony was initially hired for temporary work but never grew out of his old behavior. Although talented in melodrama, the pony's acting was considered exaggerated and overdone. When the pony's mother died, he resorted to drinking port wine. Unfortunately, his greed led him to bite off the bowl of a glass one night, choking and ultimately causing his demise. The quote highlights the pony's vulgarity as the cause of his unfortunate end.

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