PfSEN B Y PERSE VERANCE. 



books, rolled on the ground of my room knee-deep in checks, 

 and made a perfect pantomime of the whole thing.' This 

 reading, the ' Christmas Carol ' and ' Pickwick,' had to be 

 thrice repeated. In Dublin he was enthusiastically received, 

 and was greatly pleased with the town and with its thriving, 

 populous look. Of Belfast he remarked, ' A fine place, with 

 a rough people ; everything looking prosperous ; the railway 

 ride from Dublin quite amazing in the order, neatness, and 

 cleanness of all you see ; every cottage looking as if it had 

 been whitewashed the day before ; and many with charming 



gardens, prettily kept, with bright flowers Enormous 



audiences. We turn away half the town. I think them a 

 better audience on the whole than Dublin ; and the personal 

 affection is something overwhelming.' The net profit to him- 

 self for a time was ^300 a week ; in Scotland for one week it 

 was much over this, being about ;^5oo. The subjects during 

 his first reading tour were restricted to the 'Carol,' the 



* Chimes,' the Trial in Pickwick, the chapters wliich con- 

 tained 'Paul Dombey,' 'Boots at the Holly Tree Inn,' the 



* Poor Traveller,' and ' Mrs. Gamp.' 



Towards the end of 1857, he had presided at the fourth 

 anniversary of the Warehousemen and Clerks' Scliools ; and 

 in March 1858, in speaking at the Royal General Theatrical 

 Fund Dinner at the Freemasons' Tavern, paid a graceful 

 tribute to Thackeray, who presided on the occasion. In May 

 he presided at the Artists' Benevolent Fund Dinner ; and in July 

 he took part at the opening of the Royal Dramatic College. 

 In December he presided at the Institutional Association oi 

 Lancashire and Cheshire, in Manchester Free Trade Hall, 

 distributing the prizes to candidates from 114 Mechanics' 

 Institutes connected with the Association. 



