I must confess I am sometimes guilty of mild practical jokes, but I am always careful to select reciprocative and kindred spirits--with such a spirit of practical joking as J. L. Toole, for instance. He and I have had many a joke at each other's expense. It so happened that when he was producing the great success, "The House Boat," he wintered at Hastings, where I had a house for the season, and we saw a great deal of each other. Toole was always what is called a bad study--that is, it was with great difficulty and pain he learnt his parts. On this occasion the time was drawing nearer and nearer for the production; he was getting more and more nervous about his new part, and I received a visit from his friend the late Edmund Routledge, asking me to protect "Johnny" from his friends--in other words, to keep his whereabouts dark, as he had to study. Toole had had one or two little practical jokes with me, which I owed him for, so having to rush up to town, I had the following letter written to him: "DEAR MR. TOOLE,--I suppose you recollect your old friends in Smoketown when you performed one night at our Hall and did us the honour of stopping at our house over Sunday. You then kindly asked us all to stop with you when we went to London--a promise we have treasured ever since. We called at Maida Vale yesterday, but finding you were at Hastings I write now to say that we are on our way. Besides myself I am bringing dear Aunt Jane you will remember--now unfortunately a confirmed invalid--and my boy Tom who has got a bad leg, and Uncle William and his three daughters, and my dear Sue, who, I am sorry to say, is still suffering, but I think a week at Hastings will do us all a world of good--particularly to have you to amuse us all the time. "Yours very truly," And a signature was attached which I could not myself read. The next day in London a hansom pulled up close to where I was walking, and a friend of Toole's jumped out, and, seizing my hand, he said, "I say, Furniss, you travel about a lot, lecturing and all that kind of thing--do you know Smoketown?" [Illustration: SAVAGE CLUB. MY DESIGN FOR THE MENU 25TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER. _The Original Drawing was by request presented to His Royal Highness._] "Smoketown!" I said, "Smoketown!" (Truth to tell, at the moment I had quite forgotten all about my letter to Toole; then it dawned upon me.) "Oh, yes--well," I said; "I had one night there, and some frightful friends of Toole's bored my life out. He had invited them, I believe, to stop with him in London, and they--" "Just the people I want. What's their name?" "I forget that entirely." "Can you read this?" he said, producing my letter. "No," I said; "I can't read that signature." "Do you know where they are likely to put up in town?" "Not the slightest idea." "I've tried every hotel in London." "Temperance?" I asked.