y offered his services. He could
play upon the violin: four tunes only. Now, provided an instrument
could be borrowed for the occasion, and provided, moreover, the
tight-rope artist could dance to the tune of "There's Nae Luck," or
"Drink to Me Only," or "Away with Melancholy," or the "National
Anthem," here was a way out of the dilemma, and all might yet be well.
Unfortunately a violin was not forthcoming at any price, and the
dancer declared himself quite unable to dance to the airs stated! How
was faith to be kept with the public? At the last moment a
barrel-organ was secured. The organist was a man of resources. In
addition to turning the handle of his instrument, he contrived to play
the triangle and the pan-pipes. Here, then, was a full band. The
dancer still demurred. He must be assisted by a "clown to the rope,"
to chalk his soles, amuse the audience while he rested, and perform
other useful duties. Another obliging actor volunteered his help. He
would "by special desire and on this occasion only," appear as clown.
So having played Pangloss in the "Heir at Law," the first piece, he
exchanged his doctorial costume for a suit of motley, and the
performance "drew forth," as subsequent playbills stated, "universal
and reiterated bursts of applause from a crowded and elegant
audience." The experiment of the barrel-organ orchestra was not often
repeated. The band of the Leamington Theatre was lent to the Warwick
house, the distance between the establishments being only two miles.
The Leamington audience were provided with music at the commencement
of the evening only; the Warwick playgoers dispensed with orchestral
accompaniments until a later period in the performances.

CHAPTER XII.

PROLOGUES.

"It is singular," Miss Mitford wrote to Mr. Fields, her American
publisher, "that epilogues were just dismissed at the first
representation of one of my plays--'Foscari,' and prologues at
another--'Rienzi.'" "Foscari" was originally produced in 1826;
"Rienzi" in 1828. According to Mr. Planche, however, the first play of
importance presented without a prologue was his adaptation of Rowley's
old comedy, "A Woman never Vext," produced at Covent Garden on
November 9th, 1824, with a grand pageant of the Lord Mayor's Show as
it appeared in the time of Henry VI. At one of the last rehearsals,
Fawcett, the stage manager, inquired of the adapter if he had written
a prologue? "No." "A five-act play and no prologue! Why, th