the actors, "Here is a person," continued
he, "who desires to go upon the stage, and is content by the way of a
beginning, to snuff the candles--humble enough you'll say. But he says
he can sing;" then ironically to H. "Now, pray sir, do us the favour to
say what song you _can_ sing--you perceive the gentlemen of the band are
in the orchestra--or perhaps you would rather accompany yourself, as you
say you play the fiddle." Then without giving him time to answer he said
to one of the band, "hand this gentleman a fiddle, as he calls it."
Hodgkinson took the fiddle, and pitching upon the beautiful _Finale_ at
the end of the first act of the farce of the Padlock, he played and sung
it not only to the astonishment of them all, but so much to their
satisfaction and delight, that Mr. K. after asking him whether he
thought he could sing accompanied by the band, and being answered in the
affirmative, spoke to the orchestra to go over the Finale with him, and
desired H. to sing it again. Emboldened by this mark of approbation,
John asked permission to sing another song: Mr. K. assented: the boy
then stepped forward to the orchestra and asked the leader whether it
would suit him to play one of the songs of Lionel? Certainly, he
replied, which of them? "Oh dry those Tears," said our juvenile hero: a
murmur escaped them all, as if they thought his vanity was carrying him
too far. "Try him, by all means try him," said Mr. K.--The boy
sung--their surprise was now raised to astonishment--and Mr. K. patting
him on the head, emphatically said to him, "My boy, you'll never be a
candle snuffer. For the present, however, you may carry a letter--or
something more perhaps." He then interrogated him--"have you ever been
about a theatre:--perhaps your parents are?"--"No sir, I never had the
sole of my foot on a stage till now." "Where then did you first learn
to sing?" "In our church sir." "Your church! where is your church?" Here
finding that he had got into a dilemma, he hesitated and blushed: "a
number of other boys and I practised music together, sir." "But
where?"--then perceiving the boy's distress, Mr. K. shifted the question
and said, "So much for your singing, but where, in God's name, did you
learn to accompany your singing with such action; which I declare, said
he, turning to the people on the stage, wants little to be what I should
call perfect for a singer?" "We boys, sir, acted plays together." "And
you played--" "Several parts, si