eus of a comedy company to perform here in a piece of my own
writing, I had amongst them a very remarkable child actor, whose name
was Leo Byrne. He played the title role in my comedy of _Neds Churn_,
and when the provincial run of the piece was over he was employed by
Sir Henry Irving to play the child's part in Lord Tennyson's tragedy of
_Becket_. Mr Gladstone was present at one performance, and not wishing
for some reason of his own to be identified by the public, took his seat
out of view of the audience on the prompt side of the stage. Whilst
the curtain was down, Mr Gladstone took the fictitious son of the
Fair Rosamund on his knee and began to question him. "You come from
Australia, my little man?" he said. "Yes, sir," the boy answered. "And
what do you think of England?" he was asked. "I think it is being ruined
by the Liberal Party," Master Byrne responded. The great man laughed and
suffered him to escape, which I am told he did very willingly. Mr Bram
Stoker afterwards took the child apart and told him that one of these
days he would be very proud of having been taken on that old gentleman's
knee. "Oh! I know," the imp responded, "it's old Gladstone; I don't want
to be bothered with him. I have promised another boy to go and spin tops
with him behind the scenes."

CHAPTER XII

First Fiction--_A Life's Atonement_--The Casual Tramp--Poor
Law Relief--Charles Reade--_The Cloister and the Hearth_--
Wilkie Collins--The Figure in Mediaeval Costume--_Joseph's
Coat_--At Rochefort--_Rainbow Gold_--The Anarchist--The
Police--The Text of Scripture.

Whilst I was still engaged on the staff of the _Birmingham Morning
News_, as I have mentioned previously, Mr Edmund Yates was running
through its columns a novel which he entitled _A Bad Lot_. He was
lecturing in America at the time, and must have been living a hand to
mouth life with his story, for he brought it to an abrupt and rather
disastrous conclusion. When the final instalment of copy was received
there was a momentary consternation in the office. New arrangements were
pending, but we had supposed ourselves to have at least two months
in hand. In these circumstances my chief came to me and asked me if I
thought that I could fill the gap. I was simply burning for a chance to
try my hand at fiction, and I leapt eagerly at the opportunity. I began
that very day and I wrote a chapter which I am quite sure must have led
my readers to expect