The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-05

Like every other person who ever wrote for living, Thackeray had an idea that 1t was In him to write a first-class play. This idea-a mistaken one as 1t proved took form in The Wolves and the Lamb" The comedy was acted by some of the authors family and friends in a private performance at his new house in Kensington; but managers simply would not have anything to do with it.. It was a failure, even Thackeray felt, and he soon recast '"The Wolves and the Lambs Into the story of "Lovel the Widower." If 1t was a bad play 1t made a good story-a rambling one, to be sure, told in a gossipy garrulous sort of man. ner, but with so much of Thackeray him. self in It's philosophy and its reflections on life, manners and morals that it is wholly delightful.
 vV7 HEN MT. Charles Batchelor had
 NA/ completed his course at Ox-
 W bridge he went to live in lodg- ings in Beak street, and the lady who let the lodgings aforesaid was Mrs. Prior. who had seen better days. as many land ladies have, and didn't care who knew it. She was also the wife of Captain Prior, late of her Portuguese majesty's service, still later of sundry debtors prisons and now acting as clerk to a coal merchant when his engagements at billiard rooms and pubs" would allow. MT Batchelor had taken up his abode with the Priors, being melted thereto by Mrs. Priors brother, the Rev. MT. Sargent master of Boniface, MT. Batchelors college, who naturally took more satisfaction in send ing his sister lodgers than he did in for warding those pecuniary benefits for which she was constant and ingenious beggar. The fact was that the Priors were wretchedly poor. and that distin- guished officer the Knight of the Swan with Two Necks, drank up everything he could lay his hands on, even to the modest stipend which his eldest daughter. Elizabeth, received for dancing in span eles under the name of Miss Bellenden at theatre. Mrs. Prior. like devoted mother bird, foraged right and left to supply the necessities Of her birdlings and was remorseless in the pursuit of her prey. On one pretext or another, and on WOTllleSs nOlcs Ol HAUL ACQ Dy the Knight of the Swan, she managed to get considerable sums of ready money from her lodger, as well as preying upon his mutton and his sugar and creating most surprising voids in his sherry and brandy bottles. MT. Batchelor could i'll afford to be preyed upon just then by such an energetic old harpie It took all the money he could earn by editing the Museum Gin which he published his own verses and wonderfully satirical reviews and which proved flat faflure) to square up with Frederick Lovel. Esq, who had chum when, after the conclusion of his Oxbridge career a lot of tailors and wine merchants, bootmakers and other vulgar people had the audacity to put the maker of verses in jail for not settling.
 While NJ Batchelor was running the boy who used to sit and sleep upon his stairs waiting for copy. He was 8 solid little chap and very grirny; but he had the imposing name of Richard Bedford and the good taste to be an ardent ad- nnirer of Elizabeth Prior. Once when the gorgeous and bespangled Miss Bellenden had Issued forth from the theatre as the shabby Miss Prior the tipsy old Knight of the Swan with Two Necks received her 3n such a state of hopeless intoxication as made 1t indispensable for iDckie. who was lurking near the stage entrance in the hope of just such a chance to be of use, to interfere. He called a cab, and putting the disgraceful old father and his graceful daughter inside mounted the box and saw the party safely home to Beak street. When Miss Bessie after wards tried to pay the gallant Bedford fhe amount of the cab hire he was so hurt and fearful at the proposition that Elizabeth did not have the heart to press the matter. It was a great secret, this dancing of Miss Elizabeth at the theatre If the Reverend Master of Boniface had known of 1t Mrs. Prior justly thought there would have been a complete cessa- tion of relief expeditions from Oxbridge and a general family explanation and ex- rlosion.
 The occurrence of two deaths, deaths of people who had never heard of each other, probably, made change in affairs in Beak street. MT. Bachelors wealthy old greatuncle died and left him a. com potency in the funds and house in Bloomsbury Square. Captain Prior died and the sheriff's men seized upon all the furniture in the house, including that oi the lodging of MT Batchelor. who paid of the claims represented by the sherin and went to see his old Master of Boniface whom he induced to take Elizabeth into longer at the theatre had become impos- sible. Some of wild crowd of young mon tnsulted her, and the manager, instead of prohibiting their coming again behind the scenes, pointed out to Miss Bel1enden that Miss Montanville, who actually received less per week than the fair Bellenden, kept neat little carriage of her own with a coachman and tiger in livery, and rave away considerable sums in charity besides. But Miss Bellenden concluded that she must leave the theatre, and so went. as has been said, to her uncle's s Tt Oxbridge. The oldest boy of the Prior blood was provided with place at Blue Court school through MT. Batchelor's in- nuence, and Beak street knew him no moro as 8 lodger.
 His friend. MT. Loyel, son of Loefrel z O., sugar bakers. wrote him a long letter from Italy, saying that his wid- owed mother, Mrs. Loeffel, had contracted . new alliance, having married the Rev.