irit, it did not answer with me. Even an ordinary
boy of fifteen is no child, and I at that age was equal to a man of
twenty.

I felt the indignity of this treatment as an excessively sensitive
organisation would. I refused to touch either the bread or the water,
and meditated an escape from the paternal roof, never to return.

Now, it happened that at that time there was in the village a band of
strolling players, who had hired a barn to act in. These I had been in
the habit of seeing act every evening, till my passion for the stage was
augmented to an intense degree.

The players were to leave on the morrow. Here was an opportunity! I
would wait till the evening, escape by the window of my chamber, and
offer my services to the manager. I looked down from my window into the
garden, to ascertain if I could venture upon a leap; but it was much too
high for me, yet there was a ladder against the wall, though not near
enough for me to reach.

What was I to do? I tied sundry pocket-handkerchiefs together, which I
wetted. I then tied an ornament that served as a paper weight, being
rather heavy, and holding one end of the wet handkerchief in my hand, I
threw the heavy end towards the ladder, which it caught, winding itself
round one of the rungs so tightly that I was enabled to draw it towards
me and place it just under my window, ready for the evening.

The evening came. I waited till my parents were at supper. This was just
about the time that the evening's performance would be at an end. I
donned my worst clothes, and tying up some necessaries in a handkerchief
and taking a walking-stick to carry the bundle across my shoulder, I
opened my casement and cautiously descended the ladder till I found
myself in the garden.

There was yet another obstacle to be overcome; the garden wall had to be
scaled, for the gate was already locked. The wall was high, but after
much exertion and many falls, I scrambled up--I hardly know how--and
leapt down the other side into the road. I found that I had ripped up my
coat behind and damaged the knees of my small clothes.

In this plight I made my appearance before the manager. He looked at me
from head to foot, scrutinisingly; asked me my name and what I had been
bred up to. I gave him the name I bear at present, and said that I had
never been brought up to any trade, but had always had a taste for the
stage.

"Humph!" he muttered, observing that I spoke better English than himself