EARLY THEATRICAL EXPERIENCES 



was a handsome juvenile lead. Professionals were 

 always engaged for the ladies' parts. Poole, who is 

 dead now, poor fellow, became a few years afterwards 

 " Howell Poole " — a professional well known in the 

 provinces. The last time I saw him was in a 

 melodrama at a small theatre in Camden Town. 



It was a revelation on coming back to England after 

 a long absence, which will be alluded to later, to find 

 how well several of our hopes of earlier days had 

 succeeded on the stage. I refer chiefly to Forbes 

 Robertson and Herbert Tree — both knights now, if 

 you please. I knew them both from very early youth. 

 We lived very close to the Robertsons, in the north of 

 London, and Ian and his brother Norman (Norman 

 Forbes) I used to see every day. I have recollections 

 of swopping a collection of foreign stamps with them 

 for unripe pears which grew in their unkempt garden — 

 a " page " of stamps for six bits of " fruit." John- 

 stone was at the Charterhouse — then in the City — 

 and he made an impression on me even as a small boy. 

 He would come and watch our games ; chiefly cricket, 

 with a tree stump as wicket and a solid india-rubber 

 ball, which Ian used to wield with unerring accuracy. 

 I can remember that Norman — a fine actor I have 

 always thought — was of a softer disposition ; perhaps 

 he didn't send that ball in so fast. They were a large 

 family, with Johnston the eldest. There was some- 

 thing so superior about him : I do not say this in 

 the vulgar sense that he was a " superior person," but 

 we boys used to know somehow that we could scarcely 

 hope ever to aspire to that lofty plane of brilliance and 

 intellect which Johnstone would. And yet I have 

 seen Norman play Shylock magnificently when Irving 

 was ill, and Miss Terry would seem to applaud him as 

 she said the lines of Portia. Then he was excellent 



