r." "You surprise me, boy!" "Well," said
he, "call upon this gentleman tomorrow morning betimes, and he will
converse with you." He then turned to the person who was acting as
prompter, and whispered him, when Hodgkinson, after getting the
gentleman's direction, made his bow. As he was going down the passage a
lad followed him and told him the manager had sent to let him know that
if he pleased he might come on the stage that evening during the
performance.

Never before had our adventurer experienced such transporting
sensations. To use his own words, his head whirled and sung again with
delight. Instead of going straight back to Broad-mead, he walked about
the square plunged in a delicious reverie--perfectly insensible of
hunger or fatigue he continued on the stride, up the river side and
down, then about the square again--then here, then there, in short he
knew not whither nor why, wholly forgetful of home, dinner, and every
thing till some time after the playhouse opened, when going to the
stage-door he was admitted, and when he got behind the scenes, was
kindly accosted by some, questioned very impertinently, and curiously by
others, and stared at by all. The after-piece for the night was "the
Contrivances," which he had never seen or heard of before. He was vastly
taken with the song of "Make haste and away my only dear;" and as he
passed down from the stage, hummed it to himself; on which one of the
gentlemen of the band who was near him accosted him, "Hah, master
Henry, is it you?--you have practised every piece on the stage, one
would think--and the Contrivances has not escaped you." "My name is not
Henry, sir--my name is John." "Well, Master John then, I beg your
pardon, but you have been at Rover I see." "No, sir, I never saw or
heard of the Contrivances till this night's performance." "You can't say
so," said the other, "you have learned that song before, assuredly!"
"Upon my word it is a truth, sir; I never heard it before tonight." "Do
me the favour to hum it over again for me," said the musician.
Hodgkinson complied. "Why you have the words of the song as well as the
air." "Of one verse only, sir: but the next time, I shall catch the
whole of it." The musician expressed his astonishment, and asked the boy
where he lodged; to which John replied, "Off this way, sir," and ran
away as fast as he could to Broad-mead, where he was resolved it should
not be known, for sometime, at least, that he had any connexio