rom Drury Lane and Covent Garden of
actors half attired, with rouged faces, and loaded with the
paraphernalia of their art, of dancers in various stages of dress, of
musicians bearing their instruments and their music-books, was
incessant, while the interchange of mysterious terms and inquiries,
such as "Who's on?" "Stage waits," "Curtain down," "Rung up," "First
music," &c., was sufficiently perplexing to passers-by. At the season
of Christmas, when the system of double duty was at its height, the
hardships endured by the performers were severe indeed. The dancers
were said to pass from one theatre to the other six times during the
evening, and to undergo no fewer than eight changes of costume.

In the same way the performances at the summer theatre, the Haymarket,
at the commencement and close of its season, often came into collision
with the entertainments of the winter houses, and the actor engaged by
two masters, and anxious to serve both faithfully, had a very arduous
time of it. How could he possibly be present at the Haymarket and yet
not absent from Drury Lane or Covent Garden? As a rule the patent
theatres had the preference, and the summer theatre was compelled for
a few nights to be content with a very scanty company. On one
occasion, however, Farley, the actor, achieved the feat of appearing
both at the Haymarket and Covent Garden on the same night, and in the
plays presented first at each house. The effort is deserving of
particular description.

At Covent Garden the curtain rose at half-past six o'clock. In the
Haymarket the representation commenced at seven. At the former theatre
Farley was cast for one of the witches in "Macbeth." At the latter he
was required to impersonate Sir Philip Modelove, in the comedy of "A
Bold Stroke for a Wife." It was a question of fitting in his exits at
Covent Garden with his entrances at the Haymarket. A hackney-coach was
in attendance, provided with a dresser, lighted candles, the necessary
change of costume, and the means of altering his make-up. His early
duties as a witch at Covent Garden fulfilled, the actor jumped into
his coach, and, with the assistance of his dresser, was promptly
changed from the weird sister of the tragedy to the elderly beau of
the comedy. He duly arrived at the Haymarket in time to present
himself as Sir Philip, whose first entrance upon the stage is in the
second act of the play. This part of his task performed, he hurried
again to Covent G