The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-04-06
ROMANCE OF A PLAY.

"But what put the idea into your head"
asked the leading man of the dramatist as
they stood together during the rehearsal of
a new play.
The dramatist was lady-a tall, slight
woman of perhaps 3d. with striking face,
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 a sense
beautiful. The leading man was inclined
to 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.
ooh, hardly know" she said, with an
absent look in her blue eyes.
Mrs. Clavering was novelist who had
not been very long in London, having
spent most of her life abroad. What the
leading 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-
claring he would live as he chose, she ham
pered him, and so on. The wife, still low
ing the man who was 80 cruep to her, de-
clared he could not shake her off. VI 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 l
cannot win you back to love will, at
least, keep you from crime"
In the second act the hero il 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-
fesses 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
and as he does so his wife enters, and the
two are completely reconciled.
"a charming idea," said the leading
lady to the author, "but 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. Clavering was a widow, divorced
or separated.
"I'm sure I don't know" was the an
swer, 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 80,
and sometimes in these days it isn't wise
to be curious about peoples absent or non
est husbands. When you came 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
London she called herself Mrs. Clavering,
which might or might not be a 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, surprising 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-
lions to make in the second and third acts,
and after a slight luncheon she set herself
to the task. SettledS She seemed very
restless and worked fitfully. Sometimes,
for minutes together, she sat with her face
hidden in her hands, and more than once
tears trickled through her fingers.
"They say the piece is likely to catch
on" said gentleman who, in truth, was
a hacker of a west end theater He was
one of a group of men in the smoking
room of a rather bohemian club, and his
remark was in continuation of desultory
chat between himself and a well known
actor manager.
Eyes," 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 rot!"
"What play is that, if l may askP" in
quired 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.
A cautious man would think twice before
introducing this gentleman into his home,
for besides his personal good looks he had
a sweet toned voice and an attractive adj
dress, and with these weapons of attack
he could easily conquer womens hearts,
breaking them afterward at his leisure.
The "backer" answered him: ga piece
written by Mrs. Clavering, the novelist.
She's not prentice hand. Some one act
plays of hers have been done already"
81 remember reading one of her novels;
it was clever" said Mr.. Leslie. "What's
the play about2" You noticed, when he
spoke, that his English was slightly tinged
with foreign accent. That was natural