The Express.
London, England, 1855-10-29 00:00:00

DRAMA.

HAYMARKET.
On Saturday night a new play in four tete, Willed
The Begierreirig mod the Band, stated to be from the pen of
Mrs. Lovell, the author of the play of 'sponsor, was pro-
duced at this theatre. It is gloomy and tragical, se will
appear from the following outline. IL Elnan, au *ld
German mothball% of Bristol, la o• his deathbed. He bas •
clerk named Lambert, who, with his wife and family, is
Wards; ow the pittance allowed him by his rich and
peourioss employer. He bean his lot with meekness; bat
not so his wife, a woman of stroog passions and • steethline
naiad, who contemplates the peewit misery and impending
destitution of her children with feelings of almost mad-
dening despair. The play opens with a view of the
interior of this wretched household, which emulate,
besides the unhappy pair themselves, of their two children,
• girl of eighteen sad a boy of six or seven. Their feelings
are aggravated by the entrance of Hoffinan's partner, an
incanted*m of selfish heartlessness, who announces to them
that be is to be his partner's heir, and gives Lembeet notice
to quit. Mrs. Lambert, who has carefully nursed the old
man ia his illness, Is • sort of favourite with him. While
she is attending him he communities/se to her confidentially
his intentions as to his inheritance. He hates his grasping
partner, who, he sees, is longing for his death, and he has
resolved, Unwed of making him his heir, to bequeath his
property to his natural heir, a young man whom he had
driven from him many years ago. He thews Mn. Lambert
a will to that t Kea which be has jut vein's ; and having
dons so, places it under his pillow and goes to sleep. A
sodden temptation stint* the woman's Dried. While the
old man sleeps, the steals the will from under his
heed, and hastens with it to her husband's apart-
ment. She discloses her design—to destroy the
will, and snbetitete for it • facsimile, changing
only the name of Maitland, the old men's nephew, to
that of Lambert. The ethos ',kith sasses has much power.
reminding us somewhat of Macbeth. The temptress plies
bar husband with every indorsement calculated to work epos
his feeble mind. She overcomes his first emotion@ of
natural horror, and his yet stronger fears of detection and
punishment, sod fills his mind with visions of wealth, ease,
and luxury. While she strengthen. his nerves with brandy
he forge, the will, and she hastens to place the counterfeit
under the sleeping merchant's pillow. They then descend
to the kitchen to burn the will. A burglar, who hes broken
into the house, is alarmed by their approach; he hides
himself, and (though not undentsedieg what it unseat)
sees the deed done. All these incidents take place
during the night. Nest meriting the forged will
it regularly executed. The testator—shoos character
Is drawn in •Isgsbrious vein of comedy—signs the paper,
which he is unable to read himself and will show to nobody,
aad forthwith dies. The will is reed ; the grasping partner
' is furious, but suspects nothing; and Lambert is the ac-
knowledged heir of the old merebant's fortune. Lambert
himself Rives way to transports of exultation, which his
wife sternly cheeks. The children fail on their knees in
thsukthlness to Heaven. The father is following their
I ithample, but the mother whisper, " R e asset never pray
Igo& I" and the emends falls aeon the group.
Time elapses, and the family are living splendidly in
Condos. But theirs is splendid misery. The women's
*trees mind is racked by remoras; the man is • prey to
tiesd of detection. To his "every busk seems an
ellese," and every prospect sada with the gallows.
The children are unhappy, because their parents
are Do ; and the servants can attics nothing of
se mysterious a family. Lambert's love for his wife
le shafted to hatred : he reproaches her incessantly ter the
gyre has brought upon hies, and seeks is the brandy-
heeds some relief from his agonies. While be is sitting
aloes, stupefied with drink, a lister intrudes upon him.
This is the burglar from Bristol. He has beard of Lambert's
sudden wealth; he has conceived some suspicions of its
muse; sad he now has little difileulty in bringing the
besotted wretch to avow the whole affair. From that time
the millets becomes master of the house. Even the stresg-
miaded wife becomes subservient to him. He insists,
not only on sharing their property, but—what is still
harder to bear—on obtaising the hand of their
delights?. They yield to necessity, and the sacrifice is
about to be made. But the wither, maddened by the
agonies of her child, resolves to save her by another crime.
The manias. is to take plasm cm the morrow morning, and
the happy pair are to depart for Paris, Begisad (as the
relies says) having bemuse too hot to hold him. While be
is sitting stoat, steak's, sad smoking, sad exulting in his
goes/sett, the mother enure, to make a last appeal in her
▪ behalf. He is deaf to her prayers ; and the little
boy cowing into the room, he takes him en his knee, fondling
him brutally, end telling him that be will take him away
with his sitter, and make • man of him—enek • man es him-
self. This determines Mrs. Lambert—she slips poises into
his glass- He is putting it to the child's lips, when a sense
from the mother, and bee agitation, whisk she casuist
explain away, rouse his suspicions. He draws a knife, and
insists that the wine shall be instantly swallowed either by
the boy or herself. She drinks the fatal draught. At this
instant officers enter and seine the robber, whom they
hays long been looking for, sad he is serried if.
Another person also appear—the Twee' lady's lower,
• gentlemen who has tee thee time been a suitor for
her haze, but who tares out to be the old sterehent's ne-
phew, whom her paresis had defrauded of hie inheritance.
The play miseludes with the wretched woman's dying
agonies, surrounded by bee weeping family.
It will be seen, even free. this slight sketch, that this is
a striking play. During the perkewhamee it made • strong
impression, and there was lest at the fall of the
eurtalit. There was, however, baths* almost
equally loud ; sad there wee rose be the the se well
as the ether. The play to the slam
ef the *media bourgeoise, tilliiiresmis
of which, on on, stage. Mons Brinewall, The
esseeeter. and tees ethos are while it has.
=good deal of the Peres St. gig Adelpid nib;
An theggereleil Isme periods% awl the *barmen
et Ibe Useless. inteleded ele be es Meese of sympathy—
Ceitlate MG eleidois arise afft efieridest, and sedges.
soksieslei husband Se be bee sessyllos, wLs
die A AM of lady 11111111110 nog 'ebbs seallateeto—Ss a re-
sifts lifts of halsolftsolia Tfe Masai Sorbs he
=Loll mates" able ft hembier Is tee
So mete mob liftseC 'ft 'ft stet=
Oft re may miaeo.ef exisealloosy power. We how
oftesseso the stands of ea manes sore temiesphly
'ashamed than by the soihusel eases sidle the oessis-
Siell of *GRIN woo lo Perim no ftlons=she Oft
pay is Shaft to ftisp Assse It slake Ss The
hisibp:sreollaitt ebie ia this porsso, hinder,
aglially Mel by Mr. Howe; is sa A&4hf Awn
Is MO pals*. 11.14:4. The efts Mlb* paift I
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Moped Weis pewees of highest psi If ft play
ftio ft plea en the abase it will be iey *mock ha
sidesble esnitiwa.