ss of the
enterprise, and Ben, Johnny, and Paul found their regular business
seriously interfered with by those of their acquaintances who were
anxious to become actors. Had they given a position to each of their
friends who asked for one, they would have been obliged to have given
the entertainment without an audience, for all their acquaintances
would have been employed in the theatre.

Master Dowd had foreseen this difficulty, and before he had been a
member of the firm five minutes he decided that no actors outside the
firm should be employed, and that Nelly should do something towards
the entertainment, probably in the way of a song. As to
ticket-sellers, door-keepers, ushers, and such officers, Mopsey felt
reasonably certain that Mrs. Green would consent to take her knitting
and fill all the positions by sitting at the door, where she could
collect the money for admissions, keep the audience in order, and keep
a general eye to the safety of her house, all at the same time.

Thus, when any one pleaded old friendship, or services rendered, as a
reason why they should be admitted as members of the company,
everything was made plain and pleasant by referring to the mutual
agreement that prevented any more actors, however brilliant they
thought they were, from being engaged.

The public, or a certain portion of it, were more than anxious to know
what the opening play was to be, and many inquiries were made of the
first three of the partners, even before they had succeeded in
procuring the material for the stage. Finally they spoke to Mopsey
about it, for they thought the curiosity of their expected patrons
should be satisfied.

Owing to its being generally understood that Mopsey was an author,
making dramatic literature a specialty, the other partners, advised by
Nelly Green, had left the important question of what the opening play
should be entirely to the pea-nut merchant. When he was questioned on
the subject by his partners, he refused to give them any information
save that he was thinking up something which would go ahead of
anything yet written, and that he would make the result of his
thoughts known in due time.

Meanwhile the boys continued their regular business, for they had
wisely concluded that it would not do to let the theatrical enterprise
interfere with that which they knew would provide them a living, until
the new scheme had been shown a success.

Paul had become quite proficient in the work o