Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-08

which astonshes the Peers, the Lord Chan
celor exclaming in horror -
1t seems that she's fairy
From Anderson's Library;
And took her for
The proprietor
or q ladies' seminary.
The Queen voices her awful revenge
broken by cries of "No nol' Mercy"
"Spare u.s." from the Peers.
strephon shall 20 into Parliament
The Peers, recovering themselves, look
contemptuously at Strephon as they sing
PEEPS Your powers we dauntlesy pooh pooh
dire revenge Will fall on you
III you besiege
Our high prestige
(Con6dentially to the audiencc-the word
prestige is French).
Our Lowry style
You shall not Quench
with base cdnaiNo
(Asidc)- cine word is FrenclD.
Distinction GIBBS
Before \ herd
OF vulgar plebs
(Aside)- "a Latin word)
'Twould MI with JOY
And madness stark
The h0i polioi
(Aside)- "a Greek remarkl
The fairies and the Peers take attitudes Of
defence and the curtain falls on act first
The secoud act opens in the Palace Yard,
Westminster. On the audiences right is seen
Westminster Hall. On the left of the stage
Private Willis is discovered on sentry, stand
at case in front of the sentry box, with ex-
prcssionless face, and is apparently utterly
oblivious of the audience
The fairies come trooping, in and Lords
Mount Ararat and Tollollers complain to
them that this ridiculous protege of theirs is
playing the deuce with everything in the
"smitten" by the Peers, and when Mount
Ararat aud 'rolloler leave, gaze wistfully
after them. The Queen rebukes them. Look
at that man." she says, referring to the
stolid, unprepossessing sentry. "A perfect
picturc!' gazing sentimentaly at their
noble example of the British soldier). Now,
here is man whose physical attributes
are simply god-likc. That man has most
extraordinary effect upon me" lhe certainly
has upon the audience. "If yielded to
natural impulse should fall down and wor-
ship that man. But mortify this inclina-
ton; | wres,le with it, and it lies beneath
my feet That is how treat my regard for
that man." swapping her fingers in his
face.
The Queen and the fairies exeunt sorrow
fully.
The Lord Chancellor enters In very de-
jccted and miserable state from Westminster
Hall. His repose in that usually comfortable
but rather public sleeping apartment is
interfcrCd with by love-hopeless love
which "nghtmare-like lies heavy on his
breast"
Mount-Alarat and Tollolcr regret TO see
that love has brought his lordship to this
condition, "hc who is constitutionally rs
blthe AS "A bird-who trills upon the bench
like thing of song and gladness."
Phyllis and Strcphon have a scene in
which n mutual explanation is had, and the
lovers are reunited. They beg lolanthc TO
get the Lord Chanccllor's consent to their
marriage but she refuses, and finally cX-
claims in true penny-drealful style,
.m..strephon, you know not what You ask !!
The Lord Chancellor is my husband and
your father" Naturally Sircphon is pretty
well broken up by the intelligence. Iolanthc
points out that if she makes an explanation
to her husband she foricitsh her life according
to the first sentence; but, for the happiness
Of the son she makes the sacrifice and pleads
with the Lord Chancellor and declares her
identity. \ wailing, fairy chorus is heard
outside. The Queen enters and lolanthc is
doomed to death, when all the fairies inter
pose and declare that if loanthc is killed, it
will be for SHINING as have all, for (pointing
to the Pecrs) they lave all become Ouch
tsses, Warehouses;, Countcsses, Niscount-
csses and Baronesses.
"lt's our fault They couldn't help them
selves" said Lord nt-Ararat.
at seems they have helped themselves,
and pretty freely, too" says the Queen.
| avon bo va oil ipcurrnJ Inotl, Int ~ -
at the magnitude of the sentence, Il can't
slaughter the whole company. And yet the
law is clear. Every fairy must die who
marres mortal"
The subtcties of the Lord Chancellor
legal mind are equal to the emergency. "Thc
| insertion of single word will do it," says
the legal luminary. 'I.ct it stand that every
fairy shall die who don't marry a mortal,
and there you are out of your difficulty al
once After this there is nothing to do, Of
course, but to pull down the curtain, and
this is the clever way in which Mr.. Gilbert
does it.
The portly Queen alters the Code in pen
Gil and summons the sentry.
| QuRES-Prvate Wilson,
| SENTRY-(coming forward)-Ma'am
| QuEEN--To save my life it is necessary
tina; / marry at once. How should you lik,
to be Il fairy guardsman
SENTEY-Well. ma'am, don't think mucl
of the British soldier who wouldn't incon
veniencc himself to save a female in distress
QUREN-You're brave fellow. YOUR
a fairy from this moment. (Wings sprinI
from the sentry's shoulders. And you, m,
lords, will you join our ranks! (Fairie
kneel TO Peers and implore them to do so. }
LORD MouNT-Well, now that the Peer
are to be recruited entirely from persons q
intelligence, | really don't see what use W
are down here!
LORD ToL-None whatever
QuEES-Good. wings spring from Peer.
shoulders.) Then away we go to fairy land