ready,
we went round to various schools in the town and neighbourhood, giving
entertainments to the school children. I remember one occasion--yes; I
shall never forget it--when we exhibited our show in St. John's
school-room, Ingrow. The Rev Mr Mayne was then the vicar of St. John's,
and he allowed us to have a night with the children. Well, we removed a
partition in the school-room dividing the boys' from the girls'
department, and made a sort of shake-down stage at one end of the room,
and with a scene and proscenium the place looked like a pretty little
theatre. There was a crowded audience for our performance, including the
vicar and Mrs Mayne, the curate of St. John's (who, by-the-way, was a
coloured gentleman), Mr John Butterfield, brother of Mr H. I.
Butterfield, of Cliffe Castle, and, indeed, a good many of the _elite_ of
the district. The show opened: the curtain was rung up. The first part
was a representation of "The Babes in the Wood," which went very
smoothly, and appeared to suit the general taste of the spectators. Then
followed a "skeleton dance," and next we gave with the puppets an amusing
harlequinade by clown, pantaloon, and butterfly. Yes, and here the real
fun of the evening came in. The butterfly took a great deal of catching.
Mr Howard and his good lady and myself were leaning over a rail (behind
the scenes, of course) near the front of the stage, energetically working
the strings of the figures, when, without any warning, the stage front
gave way, and we (still energetically working the figures) were thrown
right into the auditorium. Talk about tumbling head over heels! Why,
words would only belittle this part of our "performance." Suffice it to
say that the wreckage just cleared the front seat, on which the Vicar and
his good lady and friends were sitting.

OUR HUMPTY-DUMPTY SITUATION

was so irresistibly humorous that Mr Mayne burst into a fit of laughter,
and, taking up his hat, he left the room, followed shortly after by his
wife and the curate, and shortly afterwards by Mr John Butterfield, who,
I may say, seemed to enjoy the accident far better than the legitimate
performance. The audience roared and roared again with laughter, and,
speaking for myself, I can say that I felt "jolly queer." We had only, as
it were, pitched the stage together, making it by placing one form above
another. Fortunately the people present took the unlooked-for incident in
good part, and with a little assi