i travelled in my youth, took to the stage, and finally became a reporter on an evening paper in london. one day my editor wished to have a series of articles upon begging in the metropolis, and i volunteered to supply them. there was the point from which all my adventures started. it was only by trying begging as an amateur that i could get the facts upon which to base my articles. when an actor i had, of course, learned all the secrets of making up, and had been famous in the green-room for my skill. i took advantage now of my attainments. i painted my face, and to make myself as pitiable as possible i made a good scar and fixed one side of my lip in a twist by the aid of a small slip of flesh-coloured plaster. then with a red head of hair, and an appropriate dress, i took my station in the business part of the city, ostensibly as a match-seller but really as a beggar.