The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-06

| Oeen sco1ed az for her prudcry; aud while she
| has klndled many flame, Is said TO have re-
mained ice-cold herself Such is her friends
account of her. Hall the theatre have been her
| lovers; yet none could boast that he had been
| more favored than his fellows. The story OF SIR
| OWENS success may not be true, but set anoat
py some rejected suitor in revenge for his own
DISAPPOINTMENT"
Wen hope So Ned. The playershave little
| character TO spare. We will not rob this poor
! creature OF hers until the case against her be
! FULLY proven. And NOW let us DISCHARGE the
| reckoning, and move on to the plav-house.o
The party in No. were also breaking mp.
! Sir owen Price was calling aloud for coaches
! or chairs for his friends. As Sir Geoffrev and
hr: Heryey descended the stairs, the Welsh
| baronet was heard talking angrily.
'It tnat scOundre Knevit dares to stand
between me and Mrs. Askew, let him look to it,
! say, let him look toit One way or another
I'll be even with him. the dog, let who will try
to hinderme
"Well spoken, Owen - said one of his friends.
MAJOR Moxon's voice." Mr.. Hervey whis-
Whom is he threatening2" asked Sir
Geo6rey.
".Knevit, the actor. He is Mrs. Askews play.
fellow; and is said If any ore has, to have
won her love-I know not with what truth.
There has been much tattle on the subject
viii tell you more of it anon There is story
theresnent that is worth relating"
"These players ~ Oh, these players - MUIR
INJURED Sir Godfrey.
They proceeded on foot 10 the theatre in Lin
coln's-Inn-helds, and tooktheir seats quietly in
the pit
"Win the King be here tonight, do you
think, NedW asked Sir Godfrey, gancing
towards he boxes.
''Tre King OF what are you thinking, Sir
Godfrey? He never sets foot in theatre"
IL forgot, forgot. Times are changed. Per
haps he does well to hide his grim nutcracker
face at Hampton and Kensington, and such
outlandsh places. The players must speak
High Dutch for him to understand them. Our
English tongue is thrown away upon him"
Hush, hush, sir GeofIrey,n interposed Mr..
Heryey, looking over his shoulder apprehen-
slvely.
"Nay, man l care not who overhears me. |
wish King William no harm. But can't for
get old times. I've seen in those boxes, when
Sir william Davenant was manager, his most
gracious Majesty King Charles the Second, with
his Queen and the Duke and Duchess Of York,
attended by all the rank and beauty OF England
it was "a sight worth seeing-With my Lady
Castlemain and Mistress Eleanor GWyn glarlng
at each other from different sides of the house,
as though ready to pull caps or begin scratch
ing match at a short notice. An, Ned, those
were times to live in"
the frequency of his trends references to the
past.
II would we we're to have a tragedy in lieu.
of this comedy" he SAID again, as he studied his
let us be content, Ned" said Sir Godfrey;
81 warrant the rogues will do their best to
please u.s."
1
ence to the tragedy in which Knevt and Mrs.
| Askew last appeared. We might have had some
repetition of the scene tonight
''Give me the story, Ned Twill pass the
| time till the music be9ins."
"You are aware, Sir Godfrey, that the PLAYERS
| who appear as lovers on the stage dOnot always
bear themselves so tenderly towards each other
| behind the scenes ~
| ''Donbtless that is true, Ned"
| ''Well, last night was performed the late Mr.,
Otways beautiful tragedy of Venice Preserved,
than which, think, finer work does not exist
in the drama OF the country. shakespeare has
not its equal in pathetic beauty and elegance of
diction; he is content with a vulgar deneation
of the passions. Well, Knevit was the 'Jattier;
Mrs. Askew the Bevldera.' But they played
together less happily than usual. There seemed
some want of agreement between them The
laoy's warmth sprang rather from her anger
than her love. She glared resentfuly when she
should have gazed tenderly; a baletul fury
stood in her eyes when they should have been
streaming with tears And 'Jater' seemed
rather to mock her sorrows than TO pity them;
at least SO the spectators judged the perform
ance. We arrived at the fifth act; and when,
after she had said, 'Bequeath me something
but one kiss at parting the lovers ran 20 each
others aims, Belvidera' was seen to fairly bite
her lord upon the cheek in lieu of kissing him
| Jafier could scarcely finish his part, he smarted
so with the pain"
Sir Godfrey laughed heartily at this narrative.
THE dog must have veXed her sorely, | doubt
not. Very likely he deserved all she gave him.
might have been a serious matter. A lovers
quarrel, | suppose; but it was sadly out of place
in MIR. Otway's tragedy. l know the play. l
| saw Betterton and Mrs. Barry in it, years ago.
And | cried like child, remember
At the back of the playhouse, behind the
| scenes, dimly lighted by tallow candles, amidst
much litter Of theatrical properties and stage
garniture, two OF the players were engaged in
an earnest and somewhat angry conversation.
The one was MRS. Margaret Askew-splendidly
| dressed in pink satin train-the "Leonora" OF
| MIR. Crowns comedy-the other was Mr.. George
Knevlt, the ''Sir Courtly Nice" of the evening.
The lady was very handsome, though her
beauty was rather of haegard kind. In spite
OF her rouge, there was hollow look about her
wonderful black eyes. Her compleXiOn-natu-
rally dark, even to swarthiness-was much aided
and Frightened by the candle-hght OF the theatre.
She was still Qulte young, Notwithstanding the
rather deep lines upon her face; and, famed Tor
her personal charms and her skill as an actress,
was tayorite toast among the gallants of the
day. At the present, however she was hardly
looking her best. She could smile most be-
witchngly when she chose; but she was not
smiling now. She was, indeed, very angry.
Her forehead was clouded and she had been
biting her red lips until they were wet with
blood.
Knevit was superb in "Slr Courtly's" dress. HIS
Antinous profile looked out from q profuse
blonde periWig that reached to his waist. The
streaming curls on one side were tossed over his
shoulder, after the fashion Kneller's portraits
| of the men of his time has made famous. His
coat was OF rich green velvet, with broad gold
lace edging, and shoulder-knots of scarlet satin
ribbon. His long waistCOat was of white bro
Cade; his stockings with embroidered clocks,
were scarlet, as we're the high heels of his Spa
nsh leather shoes His long lace neckerchiet
wss worn in the studious unstudied fashion that
had come in vogue since the battle of Steinkirk.
| A gOld.hllted sword, tall tasseled cane and q
beaver hat thcklY fringed with feathers and