He was greeted with a roar of laughter from the gallery.

The prompter appears on the scene and demands of the carpenter what he means by opening the trap?
The carpenter explains that he designs to prompt the performers after the fashion of the Opera House on the other side of the Haymarket.

"Psha!" cries the prompter, "none of your Italian tricks with me! Shut up the trap again! I shall prompt in my old place; for we won't do all they do on the other side of the way till they can do all we do on ours." So soundly English a speech is received with great cheering--the foreigners and their new-fangled ways are laughed to scorn, and the performance is a very complete success.
To singers, the convenient position of the prompter is a matter of real importance.

Their memories are severely tried, for, in addition to the words, they have to bear in mind the music of their parts.
While delivering their scenas they are compelled to remain almost stationary, well in front of the stage, so that their voices may be thrown towards their audience and not lose effect by escaping into the flies.

Meanwhile their hasty movement towards a prompter in the wings, upon any sudden forgetfulness of the words of their songs, would be most awkward and unseemly.