The morning call., 1890-09-28
WANTED TO BE
AN ACTRESS.
A Young Governess Who Sought
tho Advice of Irving.
Visiting Drury Lane With View to secur-
ing an Eugagement-shrinking From
the Solder Test"

. - Juoo cONCu ySdio dSOs 40 q oO'-
HI erness in ladies' school at fashionable
~ watering place on the south coast. Mine
was not hard place nor an unpleasant one.
The mistress was a nice woman and the
pupils were nice girls. But l was young.
full Of life and spirits; and teaching at the
school, with the same dreary routine to be
gone through day after day, was drudgery.
l had what is called good education, and
though l say it as shouldn't had tall,
handsome figure. and fresh, bright pleas
ing face. The only thing that l thought
might stand in my way was that | was a
foreigner, and that my foreign accent might
be against me. This, however, | urged
might easily be overcome. writes q contrib
utor to the Pail Mall Gazette.
Every body was. at that time, talking of
Irving. Hamlet and the Lyceum, and on
Irving, as father confessor Of my yearn-
ings for fame, fixed my choice. So, the
next Saturday L was off duty. 1 took a
ticket to London, and arrived at the Lyceum
just in time for a morning performance of
Hamlet" 'Pll have good look at him
first" thought land if, after seeing him
play, / am not too much terrified at his
greatness, I'll so and see him and ask his
advice"
the truth. lis rendering of Hamlet was in
tensely amusing to me, and when saw him
die so very artistically. with an evident de-
sire not to spoil the artistic effect of the
scene BY any awkward movement, such as
real dying man would have made, settled
grimly in my own mind that would go and
see him Immediately after the play. For /
reasoned man who is such an arts. that
he can sacrifice the actors part for fear of
spelling the artistic effect must have a weak
spot somewhere in his heart for other weak
mortals.
When the curtain had fallen on the last
scene and | had Gained down from my
amusement went boldly up to an usher,
asking whether | could SEQ Mr.. Irving.
What aid | want to see him for?' L was
asked. but stated that | would tell that to
Mr. Irving himself. Presently the message
came:
YES, I MIGHT SEE MIR. IRVING"
And was ushered behind the scenes. My
delight increased, and my hopes rose, when
l saw Ellen Terry, wrapped In a LONG, loose
pushing and scoldng somebody. Then
the great actor. He heard me kindly,
courteously, smilingly, stroked his chin
with his hand, and said, Oh, yes,
might become an actress il l was really in
sons for wishing TO go on the stase?"
Just because | hate teaching" | replied,
and he smiled again, anu SAID: But you
are foreigner; you want e0cutl0n lessons
in order TO improve your accent. Now,
tell you what | will do. | viii give you. a
letter to my friend Mr.. Augustus Harris,
and ask him TO take you in hand; and in
few months time, when you have had some
training, you shall come and join the
Lyceum company"
Who was happier than |? OF flew to
Drury Lane and there was Mr.. Harris him.
self. He was not so polite and smiling as
Mr.. Irving and, indeed, | rather lost heart
at his abrupt manner; but was there, and
| had to face him. He read the letter and
then turned round to me. Yes, you can be-
come an actress if you like. Come again
next Wednesday, and you can sit behind the
scenes and see how others do their work,
and, if you like, you can begin next Satur-
day" / forget how | got out and back TO
my seaside school, but from Saturday night
till Wednesday dreamed OF nothing, night
and day, except of acting on the Lyceum
stage, of myself as a kind of successor to
Ellen Terry ana of all the giories of fame.
On Wednesday / was again at Drury Lane
Theater, and l must say it was rather a
''comedown" when chair was brought to
me and had to sit in dusty, hideous cor
ner behind the scenes, there to wait for four
hours and watch the proceedings. What
hideous band the gay butterflies and beau
ties of the stage the gallant, handsome he
roeS, the beautiful youths and maidens
looked, when once they were behind the
scenes! 1t seemed to me as If most of them,
and their friends who were with them In
the cobwebby, draughty room, were OF the
coarsest, lowest type Of Londoners, and
MY EsTHETIC SENSE ROSE IN REVOLT
At the idea of joining such party. l was
too young aud too inexperienced then to
know that it was as unwise to judge of the
real state of things by the aspect behind
the scenes rs it is TO judge the performers
by their glittering appearance behind the
footlights.
Mr. Harris strolled up to me once or twice
and asked me how liked it, l forget what
l said, but at the end of the performance he
told me that, unless had changed my mind,
l might begin on Saturday next. You'll
have to be soldier; that's an easy part. in
which you have only to stand about on the
stage. You are tall, so you'll do very well
being on the stage" "a soldier" STAN
mered, land shall | have to wear mems
clothes ?'' Yes" Qmperturbably and in
an off-hand, business-like way, "a soldier
with tight-fttng trousers, high boots and
all the rest. Your salary begins with g a
week. Mind you are runctaal, and don't
keep us waiting on Saturday"
Then stood outside again. and took the
next train home. And once again dreamt;
but this time the dreams were like night
Will uulScll Ill Il Solutu IL
scarlet coat, white tric0t trousers and high
boots, standing in corners about the stage,
with a CHASTITY array of faces staring up at
me frem the auditorium, and l yainly try
ing to hide the boots, the tricot and all the
rest from the horrid crowd, but never sue
ceedng for a single moment. 1t was hor-
rible, uEbearable, and yet the thought that
GO was as much as now earned in teaching
all day long, and that presently should rise
above the soldier stage and become a
heroine kept me undecided.
On Friday evening a letter came from
Drury Lane Theater, reminding me that
they expected me ut a certain hour next
afternoon, and warning me once again not TO
be late. That brought tie gruesome reality
to my mind, and determined then and
there to give up the idea Of becoming SOL
der, to remain a governess-for the present,
at all events Therefore | lay low and
stayed at home next afternoon, and took the
girls for walk. And since then l have
heard no more Of either Hamlet Harris CT
the soldier"