A YORKSHIRE NATURALIST 69 



to occur to him that a youth should wish some form 

 of life outside that museum. I was never once 

 invited into his house, and never entered it except 

 when museum matters required me to do so. My 

 lodgings were comfortless, and my evenings solitary 

 and wretched. Whilst suffering this depressing, 

 miserable loneliness, I one day met accidentally in 

 the street a lad of my own age, whom I had known in 

 Scarborough. At that time, a highly respectable and 

 clever family of the name of Beverley were lessees of 

 the theatre of my native town, and were old acquaint- 

 ances. One of the sons of this family was William 

 Beverley, the celebrated artist and scene-painter. 

 My young friend was nephew of William Beverley, 

 and grandson of the lessee. He told me his father 

 had become manager of the Queen's Theatre in 

 Manchester, and my name was at once put upon the 

 " free list." Having been trained at home to enjoy 

 theatrical performances, I revelled in this release 

 from my weary solitude, and spent night after night 

 in the boxes of the Queen's Theatre, with, of course, 

 easy access to the Green Room. The dangers of 

 such a position to a pure but inexperienced lad were 

 inevitable, and must have resulted in wrong, but for 

 help of another and far better kind. 



One afternoon a merchant of the name of Yates 

 called upon me at the museum, to invite me to 

 accompany him to his house. 1 found that a brother- 

 in-law of this gentleman was visiting Scarborough, 

 and had there heard of my appointment in Man- 



