One night, when I came down from my dressing-room, made up in character to go on the impromptu stage, I complimented an old carpenter of ours, waiting in the wings, upon the clever way in which he had arranged the stage and the scenery. "Oh yes, sir," he replied, very modestly, thinking I was a stranger, "_I_ didn't paint the scenery, Mr. Leslie did that!" In some theatricals at the Friths' house, when John Hare coached us, I took the part of an old butler. On my way to Pembridge Villas, attired ready for the stage, I remembered I needed some sticking plaster to obliterate one of my teeth; so leaving the cab at a corner, I entered a chemist's shop, where I was amused, because the assistant put me on one side rather rudely for other customers who came later, and after attending to them, addressed me roughly with a, "Now, what do _you_ want?" His rudeness was an unconscious tribute to my effective disguise, and his manners altered considerably when I disillusioned him. At one time Miss Marion Terry, who was then about to go on the stage, after witnessing my acting in a play of Byron's, suggested in fun and raillery at my enthusiasm that we should make our début together. Owing to her excessive sensibility and highly strung temperament, rehearsals were very trying to her at first, and for this reason her eventual success was in doubt. When one has seen her perform her many successful parts with such exquisite talent and pathos, one feels glad to realize that she finally overcame her nervousness, and that her gift of acting was not lost to the public. I knew the Terrys very well then, and I was in love with them all; in fact, I do not know with which of them I was most in love. Ellen Terry sat to my father for his picture of "Juliet," and Kate Terry for "Beatrice" in _Much Ado_. I remember too that when Ellen made her reappearance in the theatre, my mother lent our great actress a beautiful gold scarf, to wear in that part in which she fascinated us on the stage as fully as she did in private life. Among my cherished letters I find the following notes written to me at school, after her marriage to G. F. Watts. 1866. MY DEAR LESLIE, I am extremely obliged to you for your sketch and I'm sorry Alice [my sister] should be "riled" that I wanted a _character_ of her, as the people down here call caricatures. Please give my love to her and to her Mama and to all the rest at Kent Villa--when you write. Mrs. Carr and Mr. Carr (my kind hostess and host) think the caricature is a capital one of _me_! Polly [Miss Marion Terry] sends her love, and is awfully jealous that I should have sketches done by you and _she not_!! With kindest regards and best thanks, believe me, dear Leslie, Sincerely yours, ELLEN WATTS. DEAR LESLIE,