ecidedly unwilling to go on.

"It's a very odd thing, Miss Alice," said he in accents so pitiable
that I did not wonder that Alice did her best to encourage him,--"it's
a most extraordinary thing, but I feel quite nervous."

"You'll be all right when you're once on," said Alice; "mind you don't
forget that it depends on you to explain that it's an invincible
shield."

"Which arm had I better wear it on?" said Mr. Clinton, shifting it
nervously from side to side.

"The left, the left!" cried Alice. "Now you ought to be on."

"Oh what shall I say?" cried our new hero.

"Say--'Devastating Monster! my arm is mortal, and my sword was forged
by human fingers, but this shield is invincible as ----'"

"Second Prince," called Charles impatiently, and Mr. Clinton was
hustled on.

He was greeted with loud applause. He said afterwards that this put
his part out of his head, that Alice had told him wrong, and that the
shield was too small for him.

As a matter of fact he hammered and stammered and got himself and the
piece into such confusion, that Philip lost patience as he lay
awaiting his cue. With a fierce bellow he emerged from his cask, and
roaring, "Avaunt, knight of the invincible shield and craven heart!"
he crossed the stage with the full clatter of his canvas joints, and
chased Mr. Clinton off at the left centre.

Once behind the scenes, he refused to go on again. He said that he had
never played without a proper part at his uncle's in Dublin, and
thought our plan quite a mistake. Besides which, he had got toothache,
and preferred to join the audience, which he did, and the play went on
without him.

I was acting as stage-manager in the intervals of my part, when I
noticed Mr. Clinton (not the ex-Prince, but his father, the surgeon)
get up, and hastily leave his place among the spectators. But just as
I was wondering at this, I was recalled to business by delay on the
part of Bobby, who ought to have been on (with the lights down) as the
Twelfth Traveller.

I found him at the left wing, with all the twelve hats fitted one over
another, the whole pile resting on a chair.

"Bob, what are you after? You ought to be on."

"All right," said Bob, "Philip knows. He's lashing his tail and doing
some business till I'm ready. Help me to put this cushion under my
cloak for a hump-back, will you? I didn't like the twelfth hat, it's
too like the third one, so I'm going on as a Jew Pedlar. Give me that
box. Now!" And