take the chair. At
Liverpool, however, "the public went almost wild with excitement";
and, as a result, her share of the box-office receipts was L250. But,
although she attracted the mob, she managed to upset the
susceptibilities of the critics. "Some of Madam's allusions," declared
a shocked hearer, "were in questionable taste, and, as she delivered
her address, the epithet 'coarse' fell from several members of the
audience."

A visit to Chester, which followed the Liverpool one, was marked by an
unfortunate incident:

"We learn with sorrow," said an eye-witness, "that on Thursday last
the lady introduced, if not American, certainly not English, manners
into one of our most venerable cathedrals. When, accompanied by a
masculine escort, she entered the sacred edifice, the gentleman (?)
demurred to removing his hat. While in dispute on this point of
etiquette, Madam's pet dog attempted to join her. On being informed by
the sexton that such canine companionship was inadmissible, her anger
was aroused and she withdrew in considerable dudgeon."

The provincial tour was an extensive one; and, during it, she
encountered a certain amount of competition. Thus, at Bristol she was
sandwiched in between Barnum and a quarterly meeting of the Bible
Society. None the less, "the fair Lola had a very cordial reception
from a number of respectable citizens." But she was to have a set-back
in one town that must have held many memories of her girlhood. This
was Bath, where she appeared in the Assembly Rooms. The attitude of
the press was distinctly inimical. "We must say," was one acid
comment, "that a greater _sell_ we have not met with for a very long
time. All the audience got for their money were some remarks of the
most commonplace and twaddling description. They lasted about an hour,
and even this was an hour too much." Still, Brighton, where the tour
finished, more than made up for Bath; and she was so successful there
that "the Pavilion was crammed to the doors, and additional lectures
had to be given." Thus, all was well that ended well.

A provincial triumph was worth having. Lola, however, had set her
heart on conquering London. With this end in view, accordingly, she
despatched an emissary ahead to make the preliminary arrangements.
Offers of theatres were showered upon her. One was from that
remarkable figure, Edward Tyrell Smith. She would probably have done
well under his management, for nobody understood showmanship