me; I pulled off my coat and waistcoat, and

sleeves of his uno my shirt, unbuttoned

tucked up thes
my collar, took off my cravat

cravat, an
and

put on a red

woollen' nightcap; thus disrobed, and with a large carving-knife in my hand, I was gazing with

delight on the round on the moment

seeming
Manager Wilkinson, to

at

om Mrs. Crouch had

whom

previously sent, entered the house.

He s had never

seen me; he went to Mrs. be bas

up

Crouch, and

and congraJenwal

tulated her on her arrival in York; turning from Me to calençlidt sw bon her, he espied me, and starting back, exclaimed, Te notte doow adT

*** Ugh! Maʼam, who is that, with the enormous round of beef before him!-How the devil came pod teore interod he here, Ma'am ?" Mrs. Crouch said, with a serious countenance, "That is Mr. Kelly, whom you have engaged to sing with me."

"What, that figure!" said Tate,-"what, that my Lord Aimworth,-my Lionel,—my Young Meadows!-Ugh! send him away, Ma'am! send him back to Drury Lane! send him to Vienna! I never can produce such a thing as that, to a York audience, Ma'am."

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While he was abusing the bad taste of the Drury Lane managers and those of Vienna, I slipped out of the room, dressed myself, and in propria persona, was introduced to Tate, who participated in the joke, and laughed heartily, and ever after we were the greatest friends. brs

On the 22nd of August we began our engagement with tonel and Clarissa, Tate was the Colonel Oldboy, and Mr. Betterton (Mrs. Glover's father) Jessamy:--being the race week, York was crowded with company, and the theatre always full. This was the first place at which I saw Miss Farren, who was then on a visit to Sir William and Lady Milner. My worthy friend, that excellent actor Fawcett, then belonged to the York theatre, and was the Douglas of the company,

The week after the races Mrs. Crouch took her benefit, a great house; Mrs. Crouch played Clara, and I Carlos, with Comus; our duet, "Oh, thou wert born to please me," was wonderfully well received. On Wednesday, the 29th, we commenced a four nights' engagement at Leeds, in the “ Maid of the Mill;" Patty, Mrs. Crouch; Lord Aimworth by myself. "Love in a Village," "The Duenna," and" Lionel and Clarissa," to excellent houses.

66

Wilkinson proposed to us to perform four nights more at Wakefield, to which we consented: we arrived there on Wednesday, the 5th of September, and appeared in "Love in a Village," the house was thinly attended, but in the stage-box sat a lady, who made such a terrible noise, throwing herself into all kinds of attitudes, indulging ever and anon in horrid laughing, that she disconcerted every person who came upon the stage, but,

1

above all, I in particular appeared to be the object of her ridicule, and I confess I felt extremely hurt at her pointed rudeness.

In the third act, when Young Meadows resumes his real character, and comes into the garden to meet Rosetta, I took out my watch to look at the hour, and sang, "I wonder this girl does not come;" the fat lady in the stage-box instantly set off in a horse laugh, and said to those around her, loud enough to be heard in the gallery, "Why, look there; la! the fellow has got a watch."

I could not bear this; I admit I lost my temper; but I walked up to the box, and said, "Yes, Madam, it is a gold watch, and reckoned one of the best in England," putting it close to her ;-my friend Fawcett was standing at the side of the stage at the time, and often since has spoken of it: the lady was violently hissed, and ever after, when she came to the theatre, conducted herself with becoming decency. The same lady, I was told, behaved one night so rudely to Mr. John Kemble, that he was obliged to address her from the stage, and say that he could not proceed with his part unless she would cease interrupting him with her noise; the audience insisted on her leaving the box, a party of her friends took her part, and wanted Kemble to apologise to her, which he refused to do, and left the theatre.

Our four nights ended; we consented to play one night more, by the express desire of the Earl of Scarborough, who, during our stay in Yorkshire, shewed us many marks of polite attention. On the 12th of September we left Wakefield, to commence the winter campaign on the 15th at Old Drury; and on the 23d of September, 1787, Mr. Linley revived his musical piece of "Selima and Azor," with splendid scenery and decorations. Mrs. Crouch was inimitable in Selima-she looked and acted the character to admiration, and sang the favourite rondo of "No flower that blows, is like the rose," in a manner to secure a nightly

encore.

The music, though in a different stile from Grétry's, so renowned all over the Continent, was very appropriate and pleasing. One night, during its run, I went to the Italian Opera House; it was a dreadful stormy night, and rained incessantly. I was lucky enough to get a hackney coach, and while waiting for its drawing up to the door, I heard two very handsome young women lamenting that they could procure no conveyance: after apologizing for my presumption, I told them that I had one in waiting, and should be happy to have the pleasure of offering them seats in it, an offer which, with many thanks, they accepted.

We got into the coach, and the coachman was directed to drive to John Street, Fitzroy Square; the ladies, naturally enough, began to speak about the opera and public places; amongst other things, one of them asked me if I had seen Mr. Kelly, the new singer at Drury Lane: re1 plied, very oftenot das zur gehen bus

My sister and I went to see him the other "night," said the young lady, and we have set him down as one of the most affected, conAceited fellows we ever beheld; he strutted about the stage like a peacock; and as to his singing, Chow an audience could applaud it I carmot imagine. Do you hot think him execrable, Sir?lig 1290 Most certainly," said I; I Have a very mean Topinion of him.” post as bouriol bas.rsh And then the puppy" continued my fair myfair friend, is so uglyheigh he is a perfect fright. Do you not think so, Sir? bus Indeed," said 1, I'do not think that, for I & am rather partial to his personal appearance, and like his countenance as well as I do my own-but pray,” I » continued in what character might you have seen this frightful fellow ?"

"In Selima and Azor, I think they called it," said her sister but we were so tired and disgusted with it, that we came away at the end of the first act."