fortnight longer, provided admission was refused to children. The
decision fairly upset "Virgin Mary." She thanked "Your Worship" as she
stood in the box; but in the green room at her theatre she invoked the
gods for vengeance on the court--and this in real dramatic style into the
bargain. The last day of the fortnight came round. It was a Saturday
night, and we were playing "Uncle Tom's Cabin" as a _finale_. This was a
comparatively new production at the time, and we had a packed house. At
the close of the performance our spokesman thanked the people for their
patronage, and explained why we were going to depart from their midst. He
promised that the proprietress would "try again" at some future time.

A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE

The old lady paid off her company that night, and each of us was not a
little astonished--not to mention pleased--to find his or her emolument
4s in advance of expectations. This was explained to be an "honorarium."
Some of the company promised to return when the theatre re-opened, if
that should ever come to pass, but I did not promise to do so; I was
determined to retire from the stage, being now what I considered
"tolerably well off." I obtained permission to sleep in the theatre for
the night. Before laying me down, I told the watchman to

"Call me early, watchman dear!"

But my parting with the theatre and stage life was not destined to be an
agreeable one by any means. I made a shake-down bed on the stage, and
"lay down my weary head." It would be about midnight when I heard a
rustling at the drop scene. In a few moments the scene commenced to rise,
being rolled up by an unseen hand, and when it had been raised a few
inches I was not a little "struck" to see a man's head appearing
underneath the curtain. Now this was a bit of real, earnest acting--none
of your unnatural, unfinished style. It was so realistic that I scarce
knew what to do. I, of course, first of all concluded that I was going to
be robbed, or that something of much more consequence to myself was going
to take place. The curtain was slowly and noislessly drawn up--it went
higher and higher, until the human head which had at first appeared
developed into a human body--a man. My nocturnal visitor wriggled through
the opening onto my side of the stage. Fortunately I had by my side my
walking-stick. Quickly and quietly I seized that weapon of defence, and
before the stranger would have had time--had he even desired--to say