San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-18
MISS BRETHERT0N
By MRS. HUMPHREY WARD,
AUTHOR ROBERT ELsMERE."

And vet | doubt" said Kendall; NJ think
the part of Elvira wants variety, and would
it not be well for you to have more of a
change9 Something with more relief in it,
something which would give your lighter
vein, winch comes in so well in the White
Lady more chanceF
She frowned a little and shook her head.
"My turn is not that way. | can play
comedy part, Of cOurse-every actor ought
to be able to-but | don't feel at home in it,
and it never gives me pleasure to act"
II don't mean a pure light comedy part,
naturally, but something which would be less
of a continuous tragic strain than this.
Why, almost all the modern tragic plays
have their passages of relief, but the texture
of 'Elvira' is so much the same throughout
| cannot conceive greater demand on any
one And then you must consider your COM
pany. Frankly, cannot imagine part less
suited to Mr.. Halves than Macias: and his
difficulties would react on you"
Il can choose whom | like" she said alb
ruptly; 81 am not bound to Mr.. Halves
Besides" he said, cautiously, changing his
ground little, Il should have said-only, of
course, you must know much bettcr-that it
is little risky to give the British public
such very serious fare as this, and mime
diately after the White Lady The English
theater-goer never seems to me to take kindly
to MISUNDERSTANDING and knights and
mobiles and the Fifteenth century are very
likely to bore him. Not that | mean to i'm
ply for a moment that the play would be a
failure i'll point of popularity. You have got
such hold that You could carry anything
through but am inclined to think that in
'Elvira' you would be rather fighting against
wind and tide, and that, as | said before, it
would be a great strain upon you"
"The public makes no objection to Nine.
Desforets in Victor Hugo" she answered
quickly. even sharply. Her parts, SO far as
know anything about thcm, are just these
romantic parts, and she has made her enor-
nous reputation out of them"
Kendall hesitated The French have a
~reat tradition of Them" he said. Racine,
after all, was preparation for Victor
Hugo"
"No, mol" she exclaimed, with sudden bit
tcruess and a change of voice WI 81 startled
him, 1T is not that. 1t is that dm |, and
Nine DesfOreCs is Nine DeSfOretS Oh,
srel see very well that your mind is against
it. And Mr.. Wallace-there were two or
three things in his manner which have puz
zIed me lie has never said yes to my pro
posal formally. | understand perfectly what
it means; you think that shall do the play
an injury by acting it; that it is too good
for mcw
Kendall kneit as if a thunderbolt had
fallen; the somber passion of her manner af
f.cted HIM iudeScr.bably.
Miss Bretherton!" no cried.
yves VpSIN She said almost fiprCelV StOD
Ping in the path. Its that, know.
lave felt it UlinosO since your frs word
WHAT power have if not tragic power' Il
a part like Elvira does not suit HE, wha1
Gre5 suit me, OF course that is what you
ac&n. If cannot act Elvlra | am good fol
uothiug-I am worse than good for nothing
I am an impostOr, a shamw
She sat down on the raised edge Of the
bank, for she vas trembling, and clasped hel
quvering hands on her knees. Kendall wa