:

of the town but who, the moment he saw the police myrmidons, cut our company.

"You had books," the clerk said, " and appeared to have been taking sketches of the localities."

I replied "Pray have you double informations ? From the time we were joined by the fourth person, the sketch-books were not used nor seen by any person."

"You are here," he said, "to answer, not to ask questions."

He then inquired our business, which I told him. He appeared somewhat confounded. It was evident that the Major and Colonel were the informants; and it would be a pretty joke if it got abroad, that three strolling actors, travelling from one town to another, had set the whole military and constabulary force of Ennis, with their sapient Dogberrys, in motion yet upon causes more trifling authority in Ireland, has been roused to mightier action. "How am I to know," he asked, "that you are

what you represent yourselves?"

"We cannot tell, unless you take our words for it." Just then I remembered that we had an unsealed note from our manager, to a Mrs. B., whose husband was sheriff, or jailer, or both, requesting that she would furnish us with lodgings and whatever else we required.

This was forwarded to some unseen power in another apartment, by whom it was deemed satisfactory, and sent back, with an apology for having caused us so much trouble.

I inquired "Whether the town was so disturbed as to render it necessary that all strangers entering after night-fall, should be seized by the collar, pistols presented to their heads, and dragged to the police-office to undergo so strict a scrutiny and with such mobs at their heels?"

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No, but they had informations against us-we came under suspicious circumstances, and it was desirable to guard that part of the country from the insurrectionary spirit which prevailed elsewhere."

I could perceive that their doubts were not quite removed; for, learning that we were strangers in the town, under the pretence of directing us to Mrs. B. and with a view, as they said, of keeping off the crowd, a serjeant of police was directed to attend us to our lodging. His object was evidently to try us further; for he did not bid us good night until Mrs. B. having read our letter of introduction, desired us to walk in. We took a comfortable supper; and after having in a good glass of whiskey punch drank "confusion to all peelers and policemen," "shut up

in measureless content."

I was astonished, in walking through the town next day, to have heard so much of the beauty of Limerick women, and not a word of the lovely girls of Ennis. Never before did I see so many beautiful faces clustered into so small a space. Every window and door-way presented an houri-and they looked so-half boldly, half bashfully-like some wild but lovely dwellers of the desert, who saw man for the

first time, and stood unresolved whether to fly to or from him. It seemed the very dwelling-place of feminine fascination-the Circassia of the west.

Little occurred in Ennis save that our usual illluck attended us; and, notwithstanding its being so theatrical a town, our manager soon found that his company could not draw. The insufferable vanity and consunimate ignorance of this man were becoming every day more unendurable. Any unusual word of ever so little difficulty was Chinese to him; he either murdered its pronunciation or misapplied its meaning. One night in Tekeli he had to say

"Beyond this forest is the Torza's bank."

S, who was never perfect, but had something like the sound of the word lingering in his ear, cried out "Beyond this forest is the Torrid Zone."

"Be my sowl I thought so," bawled out a fellow in the gallery, "" we all feel so hot here."

very

Four or five of us, who would not depend upon the manager for our salary, insisted upon stopping in the same house, that he may at least be in for our food and lodging. Indeed nothing but necessity could compel us to this. Our food was of the worst quality-we had but one sitting-room, which was so complete a bare-garden that I used frequently be compelled to travel out to Clare Abbey, a halfmile distant, at the most inclement season of the year, to study my character in the niche of some ruined window. Sometimes, of a morning, I would rise earlier than the rest to endeavour to procure an

hour of solitude-but in vain. The moment I was comfortably settled by the fire, some of my tormentors would sally out, and render fruitless all my studious preparations.

In consequence of having played nothing but first rate characters in the private theatres, almost all my studies were new, and of course very severe. One morning I had to study a very lengthy character in an after piece; but, as usual, after having made all my arrangements for being snug, I was broken in upon by the Manager, who began to commit Romeo aloud after a most annoying fashion. Not knowing any thing of the sense, his mode was to commit three or four words of the text, without any regard to the meaning or context of the sentence-the very lowest degree of parroting.

"I shall never be able to study this," he said at last.

I told him I knew the part, and that he had better let me play it.

"You play Romeo?" he replied, in a most contemptuous manner.

"Yes I can play it-I know something of Shakspeare. I can read and understand the text—you know nothing of the author; and though you imagine you are reading, you are but uttering printed words to which your mind can attach no meaning." Though greatly nettled, he made no reply, but went on reading aloud; at length he came to the passage

"Love! heavy lightness, serious vanity,
"Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms."

In reading and committing the second line he went on "mishapen chouse, mishapen chouse, mishapen chouse, mishapen chouse."

"Mishapen what?" I asked. "Mishapen chouse."

"Chouse! You are a pretty Romeo. Walker would call it chaos, for myself I prefer pronouncing the a broad, as in father, but you, who know nothing either of the meaning or pronunciation, had better follow Walker.

"You are right," he replied, with the greatest coolness, and proceeded in his study. He took care, though, on the night of performance to adhere to his original pronunciation. In a few weeks afterwards he played Othello in Limerick; and, notwithstanding the frequent corrections, when he came to the passage.

"And when I love thee not

"Chaos is come again."

he pronounced it "chouse is come again." As Mr. S. used generally leave some of the tradesmens' bills behind him as remembrances; whenever afterwards he came to Limerick, the announcement amongst the play-going lads was, "Boys, Chouse is come again."

On the fourth night of our performance in Ennis, we had a dismiss. It was the first time I witnessed that most distressing ceremony. We were all dressed and ready to go on; but there was not ten shillings in the house, and who could think of playing to empty benches? Little did I dream that the time would come when I should enact before a five shilling