husband and her friends, and in possession of the most valuable line of business in the theatre.

This lady expected, at the end of September, an increase to her family, and the great object of her thoughts was to make the periods before and after her confinement, as short as possible, that her rival might not appear, or, at least, not be seen often in any of the characters that she considered her own; such as Emmeline, Lady Racket, Lady Bell, Lady Teazle, Lady Alton, Indiana, and others in that cast. She, therefore, rendered the virgin purity of some of them rather questionable to the eye, and was admonished by the manager to withdraw, since the quick study of Mrs. Jordan could at any time supply her place at a day's notice, and it was, therefore, idle to inconvenience herself in her present situation. Her confinement took place on the 2nd of October, in a remarkably wet season; and on the 13th, the march of the troop was to take place from Doncaster to Sheffield. In her impatience to act, soon after her delivery, in a damp garden, she absolutely began to exercise herself daily, in order that she might be able to perform the journey of eighteen miles to Sheffield.

She performed the journey it is true, but the result of her folly was a lameness in the hip, which for some time threatened serious consequences. Lame as she was, however, rather than submit to Mrs. Jordan's performing her part of Fanny, in the Clandestine Marriage, she determined to hobble through it herself, though really as crippled as Lord Ogleby seemed, and absolutely rendered herself incapable, by it, of all exertion, from the end of October to the middle of December.

It was at Sheffield, that the late amiable Duke of Norfolk commenced an admiration of Mrs. Jordan, which continued through life: he was an honourable and useful friend, on many occasions, in her theatrical progress. Some patronage she had at her benefit, but neither she nor her manager could boast of their profits, though the river Don converted all their iron into gold for the industrious dwellers upon its banks. And thus it was, that employed, but not supported, the company left Sheffield for Kingston-upon-Hull.

Although the prefix of Mrs. to her name might have been thought a sufficient apology for the indisposition which confined her to her apartments

at Hull till the month of December, yet her success had been so great, and the mortification of her stage sisters so complete, that they availed themselves of all the artifices of insinuation to lower her attraction with the lady patronesses of Hull; and represented her moral character to be such as to render her unworthy of their notice. The affected regret that, with talents like hers, there should be so much to reprove in her conduct—

"The shrug-the hum-the ha-those petty brands
That calumny doth use,"

worked their way so effectually, that, in spite of the applause which had run before her, she was but coolly received on the evening after the Christmas festival, when she acted her admired Calista, and followed it by the famous Highland Laddie. There was a cold and sarcastic application of the character of the heroine to the performer, among the ladies, which chilled the actress, and rendered the scene languid; so little harmony had these ungracious beings retained about them, that any thing like hilarity offended their prejudice, and Mrs. Jordan was absolutely that night hissed in her song,

which had previously received the most unfailing

applause.

Her own good sense, and the advice of her judicious and friendly manager, led her to bear up against this temporary displeasure; and when it was fully made known, that her manners were as decorous, as her diligence was extraordinary; and that scandal, at all events, could not deny her professional power to delight, the town at last gave up a scrutiny, that they had no great right to institute into the private history of this popular representative; and their smiling presence, on common nights, not being withdrawn at her benefit, the mutual good understanding produced mutual advantage; for the actress's talents improved with her circumstances.

Thus at length happily established in her profession, and looking now forward with some confidence to the ability of supporting the family so dear to her, closed the year 1782-Mrs. Jordan's first season in the York company.

45

CHAPTER III.

The year 1783-Mrs. Jordan's amazing popularity in the character of William, in Rosina-Mrs. Brooke the authoress— Her husband, curate to Wilkinson's father at the Savoy-The King's chaplain transported-Garrick's officious meddling— Mrs. Baddeley at York-A lesson to our heroine of negative instruction-Mrs. Mills Fawcett's first wife an example of application to her-The art of mortifying a scenic rival— Mrs. Ward, a great professor-Mrs. Brown, the wife of Harlequin Brown, her Country Girl-Miss Wilkinson, afterwards Mrs. Mountain-Season of 1785, the last of Mrs. Jordan as a member of the York company-An instance of her caprice— Sees Mrs. Yates as Margaret of Anjou-Dick Yates's opinion of Mrs. Jordan-Mrs. Siddons also for rustication-Mrs. Robinson, the prophetess-Takes leave of Yorkshire in the Poor Soldier, to proceed to London.

THE year 1783 added to Mrs. Jordan's range of characters one which was applauded and followed with enthusiasm. It was no other than the part of William in Mrs. Brooke's unaffected rustic opera