60 SPORTING REMINISCENCES 



super, pleasantly drunk and quite disinclined to 

 produce any noise save a snore — and he was sitting 

 on the tray. Then the thunder rang feverishly 

 about four lines too late, the stage manager 

 banging furiously and reducing the leading lady, 

 myself, to nervous hysteria. 



Murmurs from the wings concerning the slaying 

 of Jack not improving it. 



In that play, ''Creatures of Impulse," I had to 

 tumble backwards out of a trap-door with what 

 grace I could. Lord Limerick and Captain Murray 

 being deputed to catch me. But when each man 

 told the other that one could catch me easily and 

 he would be back in a moment, and I took my 

 header backwards on to a very hard floor, if I 

 had been reaUy endowed with magical powers it 

 would have gone ill with them. Fortunately at 

 eighteen one falls lightly. 



I acted in real Amateur Theatricals once, got 

 up by the regiment, when no one came to rehearsals 

 and no one knew their part or where to stand, 

 and the audience looked on in pained amazement. 



Looking back now I remember all the great 

 people whom I have seen. 



Mary Anderson, when I was a tiny child, and 

 was anyone so beautiful ? SmaU as I was I have 

 never forgotten her in the " Winter's Tale " and 

 as JuHet. Irving I never saw in his earlier days, 

 and I was one of the people who could not follow 

 his voice. And marvellous Ellen Terry. I was 



