The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-02 00:00:00

HAYMARKET TR EATR E

Last evening a now two act drama, entitled, A
Husband for an hour, wa3 produced here, and
met with the most triumphant success.- We quote
the following excellent description of the plot from

a co iteiril ordry :
One fine morning, in the year 1783, Julia, Cc.untess
de Clairville (Miss Reynolds), her mother, the D6wager
Countess (Mrs Poynter), and the Marquis do Creve-
cceur (Mr. W. Farren), who is engaged to marry Julie,
are sitting together at breakfast in toe ancestral chateau
of the De Clairvilles, in Dauphirid, when Le Clerc (Mr.
Itugen), the fami'y lawyer sends to solicit an audience.
Ofl being admitted he plunges with classic precipitancy
medias ri,S, and makes a statement authenticated by
documents, which establishes beyond all controversy

,hat the .Is,die4 are in wrongful possession of the De

CLAirviDo titles and estates, ;hich of right belong to
Robert (Mr. Buckstone), who occupies the bumble posi-
tion of gardener, and who, notwith,tanding his obscure
destiny, bad long cherished a silent and hopeless pas-
sion for his young mi3tress. This inopportune discovery
by 119 mean ace rds with the Marquis's ideas of the "eter-
nal fitness of things." le incluitinentiy withdraws his

preten-ions to the hand of Julie, but has the in, olence
to propose that she should twootne his iniAtresa. She
rej.-cts the offer with bccocuiog intlignnt,on, and scorn-

fully dismisses him from her presence. No sooner has he
taken hie departure than Robert enters, bearing his
honours very meekly. Ho makes a declaration of love,
and entreats Julio to accept him as her husband. 'lhe
lady, still smarting under the sense of the indignity put
upon her by her former lover, lends a willing ear to his
suit, and consents to marry him on the express condi-
tion that its soon as the ceremony is over he will call the
Marquis to account, and exact signal vengeance for his
insult. To these terms Robert accedes ; and repairing .
to the oratory of the chateau, the sometime gardener is
indissolubly united to the ci-decant Countess. In com-
pliance with the terms of his contract, the first act of the
bridegroom after leaving the altar is to challenge the
Marquis to mortal combat. They meet in an orchard,
and presently Le Clerc rushes iu to tell the Countess
that her husband has fallen. So ends the first act, or
" period," as it is celled, in the play bill. Three years
elapse, and nothing occurs to shake the popular brl:ef
that Robert has crossed the Jordan. They mourn him
dead in his father's hall-, and his widow, to whom his
fate is a source of bitter remorse, laves in strict retire-
ment in the country. At length, however, the desire
to take part in the marriage festivities of an old school-
follow, Louise, Countess D'Aubigny (Miss E. Sahiue)
attracts her to Paris. While sojourning there at the
house of her friend, she makes the acquaintance of
a young and brilliant Englishman, Lord Tuornley, who
pays her marked attention, and she has the misfortune
to find herself again in the society of the Marquis,
who renews his odious addresses. These two gentle-
men, in whose natures there seems to be some prin-
ciple of mutual repulsion, quarrel in the ball-room,
and retire—a somewhat improbable proceeding—to an
adjoining apartment, where they submit their difference
to the fierce arbitrement of thr sword. The Marquis is
worsted in the strife, and owes his life to the forbear-
ance of his antagonist. The duel over, Lord Thorneley
disappears in the dazzling crowd of dancers, and soon
there occurs an adventure which eclipses the memory of
his brilliant s wordmanship, and throws the whole com-
pany into alarm. Tkais is nothing less than the sudden
apparition amid the mazes of the dance of Robert, the
pardoner, clad in the identical gray tunic and yellow
stockings which he wore when first we made his as-
quaintacce. Ile sits down composedly, and after the
excitement has in some degree subsided, explains that
he was wounded, not killed, in his first encounter with
Crevecceur, and that on recovering he determined to
leave France for three years, his purpose in doing so
being two-fold—first to test his wife's reflection, and
secondly to acquire that elegance of manner which
foreign ttavt-1 is supposed to itnpait. Both these objects
had been effectively accomplished, and as Snowdon's
Knight proved to be Scotland's King, even so does Lord
Thornley turn out to he identical with Robert, the gar-
dener. Julie recovers her husband and her happiness by
the same operation, and Pierre Rouge (Mr. Cumptonli
Robert's confidential servant, realises all his earthly
aspirations in the blissful possession of Fanchette
(Mrs. Fttzwiiliain), the Countess's waiting woman,
whom ho had long wood, but who was at one time
in danger of being carried off by La Fleur, a
comical little valet, personate I by Mr. Clark. Such,
in brief outline, are the main features of a drains pro.
duced at this theatre last night under the title of "The
Husband in an Hour"—a drama which exempts its
author from the suspicion of having plagiarised its story
from real life. The weak point of the play is that the
plot is dewl 'ped more by words than by deeds. It
blossoms like an exotic under compulsion, and is forced
into life rather by the hothouse process of explanation
than by the spontaneous action of the incidents. Never-
theless it bee considerable merit. The characters are
boldly drawn and forcibly contrasted; the dialogue
mingles the sentimental very happily with the hu-
morous ; and the pleasantry and whine which distinguish
the love-scenes between the lady's-maid and her rival
admirers are particularly acceptable. By far the most
attractive part in the play is that of Robert, and ad-
mirably is it acted by Mr. Buckstoue. He holds sove-
reign sway and masterdom over the audience, and every-
thing that he says or does excites a pleasurable emotion.
His minutest gesture creates enjoyment ; the very tone
of his voice is suggestive of merriment ; and it posi-
tively makes a man happier to see him step upon the
stage as fresh and buoyant as ever, and beaming with
felicity. There is fun where he is as surely as there is
light where the sun shines. Miss Reynolds acts with
spirit and propriety in the character of the Countess.
Mr. W. Farren, as ere veCceur, presents a faithful pic-
ture—too faithful to be very agreeable—of a heartnetai
man of fadrion ; and Mrs. Fitz eolliarn, Mr. Compton,
and Mr. C.ark, as the enamoured servants, aro particu-
larly entertaining.
The play, which is from the pen of Mr. Edward
Faulkner, author of the " Cegot," was announced for
repetition amid general applause.