Among the other things that contributed to make those Florence days very pleasant ones, we did a good deal in the way of private theatricals.

Our _impresario_ at least in the earlier part of the time, was Arthur Vansittart.

He engaged the Cocomero Theatre for our performances, and to the best of my remembrance defrayed the whole of the expense out of his own pocket.

Vansittart was an exceptionally tall man, a thread-paper of a man, and a very bad actor.

He was exceedingly noisy, and pushed vivacity to its extreme limits.