Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 4).djvu/495

 not generally known that mother, when eighteen years of age, played the Queen to Macready's Hamlet. Macready liked playing with my mother; he gave a curious reason for it—'because she wouldn't stick her hair all over with pins!' My own particular first appearance was made on the stage somewhere between the ages of seven and eight, at the Princess's Theatre, under the management of Mrs. Charles Kean. Now, here's an interesting little fact: When I was playing Puck at the Theatre Royal, Manchester—and quite an experienced little actress by that time—Mr. Irving, although he is ten years older than myself, was at that time just making his first appearance. But, something more. It is very possible that on the very night he made his first bow, I was having my toe nearly squeezed off! I will tell you the little story.

"I was playing Puck in the 'Midsummer Night's Dream,' and had come up through a trap at the end of the last act to give the final speech. My sister Kate was playing Titania. Up I came—but not quite up, for the man shut the trap-door on, and caught my toe. I screamed, Kate rushed to me, and banged her foot on the stage; but the man closed the trap tighter, mistaking the signal. 'Oh! Katie! Katie!' I cried.

"Oh! Nelly, Nelly!' returned my sister.

"Mrs. Kean came rushing on, and made them open the trap, and so I released my foot.

Finish the play, dear,' she whispered, excitedly, 'and I'll double your salary!'.

"There was Kate holding me up on one side and Mrs. Kean on the other. Well, I did finish the play; it was something like this:—