The sun., 1903-08-02

handsome Lily Hanbury--and listens to
her tale OF woe. She loves, but slays her
love daily. He peeps into the house and
sees the spirits of those young men whose
souls she has ruined. So far allegory.
Realism enters with snort when the
student goes within the house and picks
up baby, the symbol Of the woman's
dead love. But the brat is alive, it stirs.
To the students horror, its features re-
semble his dead master. He tells the
temptress this. She dies OF the shock,
for she has loved the Master Ioh, these
pretentious capitalizationsll, first bidding
the student to look after the baby Lowell.
As the funeral bells toll. the curtain falls
on bewildered young man, who probably
makes for the nearest hospital to rid HIM
self of his unwelcome burden. Mr.. Robert
son--who was In the CASTS experienced
enough in stage matters to have known
better.
The second piece was infinitely more
clever. Its author, Mr.. S. M. Fox, had a
good idea, which he worked in spots, skill
fully. 1t is the story Of a spinster. aged
about IS, who makes life miserable for
her friends and all with whom she comes
but is extremely unattraotive. and in de-
spair, being sentimental, she takes up plain
or garden nursing. However. sentiment
alism and hospital work do not 60 we'll
hand in hand, and 80 Miss Mdrsden fiddles
her time away tea drinking, querulous, her
nervous system out OF gear-she takes a
little laudanum for insomnia-a terror
to every one she meets. The scene is in
Amalf She has been sent there for gen.
eral repairs and we learn from the conver-
sation OF two young men that she has been
prosecuting with her sentimental attentions
one Of them, youth OF twenty, ordered
south" to die. He. too, is nervous. over
wrought, in love with girl he can never
hope to marry, and Miss Mdrsden's solic-
itude drives him half mad. He tells her as
much; his friend does the same; and SO does
the hotel doctor.
1t must be confessed that the author
displays considerable courage in invent
ing such a theme, ono which could never
be sympathetic to mixed public. As a
matter Of record the audience assembled,
the pick of London's artistic folk Il knew
it by the dowdy dressing Of the women
and the queer looks OF the men), did not
catch Mr.. Fox's idea and giggled most
uncrtically at the wrong time. The type
Of Miss Marsden had been studied from
life; it is a very British one Lone, un-
occupied, her life glass running down,
she throws herself at the sick lad and teases
him by her misplaced solicltude. He re-
volts. But she learns his romance; also
learns that a package sent 70 the hotel
for him contains a revolver. In singularly
effective interview she manages TO extort
the weapon from him, and promise that
he will give up the idea Of suicide. This
she accomplishes by telling Of her own
futile attempt, and the suffering it caused.
Her secret Is on her tongue and she blurts
it out, and then mortified by her unmaidenly
candor-for she is painfully tall. thin and
proper-she rushes away. She has lived
her one great moment and there is nothing
left for her but death. So she very prop
rly-dramatically speaking-shoots her
self with the revolver OF the consumptiyei
Madge Mcintosh played the fussy, ego
tistical, good hearted woman with such
skill that 1t is wonder that she did go
further and play II better. She did not
allow the tragi comic element OF the charac-
ter an equal chance. Perhaps that is the
reason there was unsesmly laughter.
The programme concluded with clever
machine" OF G. Bernard Shaw's entitled
most modestly, THE celebrated drama In
two tableaux and In blank verse The
Admirable Bashville, or Constancy Unre-
warded." II ia nothing else but the story
of -Cashel Byron's Profession" put into
blank verse. because, as Mr.. Shaw says,
blank verse is so much easier to write than
good prose 1t Is printed at the end of the
second edition Of the prize-tighting novel
Az there has been a dramatization made
a awel-known American
pugiist actor, Mr. Shaw thought that he
had better protect his English interests.
Hence the parody for copyright purposes
II is funny 1t gibes at Shakespeare. at
the modern drama, at Parliament. at social
snobbery, at Shaw himself, and almost
everything else within reach. The stage
setting was mockery Of the Elizabethan
stage. with two venerable beef eaters
In Tower costume, who hung up placards
bearing the legend: "A Glade in Wilt
stoken Park" &c (even as you and I wit.
messed something Of the kind at Mrs Os.
born's Theatre certain night last winter).
Ben Webster as Cashel Byron and James
Hearn as the Zulu King carried of the
honors. Aubrey Smith, made up as Mr.
Shaw In the costume OF policeman with a
brogue, caused merriment, especially at
the close, when he informed his audience
that the author had left the house. And
80 he had. He was standing at the corner
when / accosted him. Our interview was
brief He warned me in grave accents
and twinkling Celtic eye never again to
describe him as benevolent" Half the
beggars OF London had winded the phrase
and we're pestering him at his back gate
Mr.. Shaw still looks az II half-raw beef
steak and a mug Of Bass would do him a
world Of good But who can tell? He
might then lose some OF his effervescence
that quality OF humor so happily described
by Edmund Gosse when he spoke Of the
vegetable spirits Of George Bernard Shaw.
JAMES HUNEKER.
P1N9ue OH Owls.