The Portland daily press., 1894-04-04
ROMANCE OF A PLAY.

"But what put the idea into your head?
asked the leading man of the dramatist az
they stood together during the rehearsal OF
a new play.
The dranlatist was a lady-a tall, slight
woman of perhaps 30, with strikingface
lighted by pair of large dark blue eyes.
The beauty of those eyes made people some
times fancy Mrs. Clavering was beautiful
but she was not. She was Intellectual, she
was charming and sympathetic, and she
had suffered-you could see that in her
face. Perhaps, then, she was in sense
beautiful The leading man was inclined
Ito think so, and he liked very much to talk
to her. AS for her, she thought him "a
nice fellow and admired his acting, but
that was all. She smiled at his question.
"Oh, I hardly know she said, with an
absent look in her blue eyes.
Mrs. Clavering was a novelist who had
mot been very long in London, having
spent most of her life abroad. What the
heading man alluded to was, as it were,
the motif of the piece The hero, in the
first act, cast off his wife and left her, de-
daring he would live as he chose, she ham,
pered him, and so on. The wife, still low
ing the man who was so cruel to her, de-
clared he could not shake her off. II shall
be with you,'' she cries, whether you will
or mol You shall hear me call to you when
the darkest hour of life comes, and if
cannot win you back to love l will, at
least, keep you from crime"
In the second act the hero is about to
marry rich girl. The wedding guests ar
rive, all is ready, when suddenly he starts;
he hears his wife's voice calling to him;
he is appalled,, conscience stricken, he con-
hesses his intended crime. In the third act
matters have reached climax; the hero,
ruined socially and in purse, is about to
commit suicide; once more the warning
voice arrests him; he filings the pistol away,
land as he does so his wife enters, and the
two are completely reconciled.
IA charming idea," said the leading
lady to the author, shut don't you make
Margaret too forgiving?"
The stage manager came up to ask about
"a proposed "cut," and the leading lady
turned away to ask the leading man wheth-
er Mrs. CIavering was a widow, divorced
or separated.
"I'm sure I don't know" was the an
lswer, and nobody else did. She lived IN
apartments near one of the West Central
squares and was always welcome in the
literary and artistic circles in which she
moved, and, though it was generally pre-
sumed that her husband was dead, it could
not be recalled that she had ever said SO,
and sometimes in thesa days it isn't wise
to be curious about peoples abseEs or non
est husbands WheI you CANA to think
of it, indeed, it would be difficult to assert
positively that Clavering was the authors
real name Her novels were published as
by Alix Clavering and when she came to
eI,a IaI ho,.ca1f MrS CIaUaTinO
which might or might not be nom de
guerre, for it was her publishers who first
introduced her into London literary socie-
ty, and it was not their business to dis
close her real name, supposing that she
had another name than that under which
she chose to appear.
The rehearsal was over, and Mrs. CLAW
ering went home She had few altera-
tions to make in the second and third acts,
and after slight luncheon she set herself
to the task Settled7 She seemed very
restless and worked ftfully. Sometimes,
for minutes together, she sat with her face
hidden in her hands, and more than once
tears trickled through her fingers
etThey say the piece is likely to catch
hop," said gentleman who, in truth, was
10 backer of a west end theater. He was
Eone of group of men in the smoking
room of a rather bohemian club, and his
remark was in continuation of a desultory
chat between himself and well known
actor manager.
ssYes,' answered the other carelessly as
he knocked the ashes off his cigar. "They
say that of so many of these matinee
shows, and they're generally such rotl"
'sWhat play is that, if | may ask?' in
quired a man who caught the last words.
The speaker was an uncommonly hand
some man, apparently about SO or 81, but
he had reckless look, not pleasant to see.
Ia cautious man would think twice before
introducing this gentleman into his home,
for besides his personal good looks he had
q sweet toned voice and an attractive adj
dress, and with these weapons of attack
he could easily conquer women's hearts,
breaking them afterward at his leisure.
The 'tbacker'' answered him: IA piece
written by Mrs. Clavering, the novelist.
She's not prentice hand. Some one act
plays of hers have been done already"
II remember reading one of her novels;
it was clever" said Mr.. Leslie. 'sWhat's
the play about2" Yom noticed, when he
spoke, that his English was slightly tinged
with foreign accent. That was natural
enough, for his life since his youth had
been passed abroad, and he had only come
to England about month ago.
81 can't tell you--story out OF the beat
en- track, they say, again. 1 shall be able
to send you stall if you care to go. You
needn't sit it out if you're too much
bored. F"
Wilmot Leslie was already favorite
with the men who knew him. In this top
ny turvy world it often happens that the
least worthy people are the most attract
i've.
Thanks Leslie answered, II shall be
very pleased to 60 trial matinee is
something of a novelty to me, you know.
One doesn't have them abroad"
NO. thank heavenp' groaned the actor
manager, and Leslie laughed, but his
laugh was not mirthful. 1t would not
strike you that he was happy man. Per-
haps, like good many, he was trying to
live down his conscience. Some one sug-
gested cards. and move was made to the
cardroom. There Leslie proved "plun-
GER" but he generally won, and keen OBJ
server of human nature might have noticed
shat there was something fictitious in his
excitement-as if he were keeping up the
steam, as it were, to prevent his Inner