The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-25 00:00:00

BA YMARKET THEATRE.

Miss Amy Sedgwick concluded her engagement
here on Saturday evening, when a new comedy
by Mr. Edmund Falconer, bearing the interro-
gative title of " Does he love me ?" was pro-
duced in the presence of a very numerous audi-
ence, by whom it was received with every de-
monstration of applause. The leading incidents
of the story are accurately described in the fol-
lowing sketch of the plot. The scene is laid at
the country mansion of Mr. Vandeleur (Mr. Chip-
pendale), who having been raised to afiluence by
the inheritance of a large fortune, is anxious to
ennoble his daughter by marrying her to Lord
Mowbray (Mr. Howe), whose encumbered estates
would be greatly relieved by the wealth of the
young heiress. The young lady has, however,
a strong objection to be marricd for her money,
and, taking a hint from a mistake into which
Mrs. Comfort (Mrs. Wilkins), the housekeeper
in their new residence, falls, she agree with
her cousin, Miss Melrose (Miss Bulmer), that
each shall personate the other, and with some
difficulty makes her father consent to favour the
deception. By a singular coincidence, Lord Mow-
bray, who is also of a romantic turn, resolves to
play a similar trick on his intended, and engages
his friend, Everton Leigh, to personate the peer,
who is introduced as his humble companion. The
result of this double game of cross purposes is
that the viscount falls in love with the supposed
portionless cousin, while the heiress is deeply
smitten with the poor young man with whom
his noble friend deigns to associate. Old Vande-
leur perceives this, and, getting alarmed lest his
daughter should be snapped up by an adventurer,
tells the. soi-disant Lord Mowbray of the plot his
daughter has contrived, and urges him to make
love to the supposed Miss Melrose, who is in fact
his daughter. Miss Vandeleur has been an unseen
hearer of this confidential communication, and, to
foil her father, causes a letter to be written to him
from his confidential solicitor, informing him
that Lord Mowbray and his friend Leigh
had exchanged homes and places, and caution-
ing him against the deception. The old gentle-
man, on receiving this letter, changes his tactics,
and, becoming suddenly generous, when he finds
that the so called Leigh and his daughter are really
attached to each other, gives his consent to their
marriage. The only persons who have really
been deceived are the lovers, who have
each believed the other to be poor, when obey.
ing the dictates of a noble and generous passion.
There is a comic character, Bubbles, the confidential
clerk of Mr. Van deleur's solictor, who comes down
from London charged to inform the solicitor of
the deception which they were aware Lord Mow-
bray and his friend Leigh intended to practise by
assuming each other's names. Bubbles is, how-
ever, always interrupted when on the point of
making this important communication ; so the
wcßoahmbeenhdlyea;tproceeds to' its artistic completion, and
seeacnret
dcoomnith
eseoeurt
gaotodthenormohmaremnt.
Miss Sedgwick plays the heroine with spirit and
address; Miss Melrose finds a graceful repre-
sentative in the person of Miss Bulmer • and
Mrs. Wilkins has in the character of the house-
keeper a part which suits her exactly,
and to which she does all possible jus-
tice. Mr. Howe acts, as he ever does, with
earnest feeling and genuine passion ; and Mr. Vil-
liers, who always dresses and, what is more impor-
tant, looks like a gentleman, deserves praise for his
careful performance of a part which, though of no
great importance, he contrives to render interesting.
As for Mr. Buckstone, his name is sufficient gua-
rantee for the admirable manner in which he as
usual acquits himself.
At the conclusion of the farce which followed—
" Fitzsmy the of Fitzsmv the Hall"—Miss Sedgwick
volunteered (appropriately enough to the day and
the occaamstiioenT)Ra
yaenlaodroirni
oggnsi addressn;tlhe whicho
'l‘lDr 'loin
ccawsioasn io.efeeliievie•dreNcveitnht
much applause.