The sun., 1904-06-05


| on May 7, 1851, Mrs Stirling playing tht
| Countess Reade said In one Of his chat
with Coleman that those who had only
seen Fannie Stirling in her declining yeart
could form no idea of what ,she was hke
when she first dawned on him in the full
rich glow of ripe womanhood. 'Above
the middle height, ar abundance OF brown
wavy hair, somewhat pronounced nose,
sparkling eyes. luscious rosy lips. be-
witching smile. and.ra mouthful OF teeth
like young horse The riding habit which
she wore fitted like her skin, restraining
with difficulty her heasts' superb abun'
dance. She was the baau ideal OF Rubens
woman before she begins to run to pod
There You have her to a hair!' 1t was for
this lady that Reade, again in conjunction
with Taylor, wrote Masks and Faces, '
Mrs. Stirling, of course, playing the part OF
Peg Wellington. Produced at the Hay
market Theatre the piece went like wild
fire, and the curtain fell upon a scene OF
unbounded enthusiasm Recalling that
night in retrospect, Rsade, said that 'in
years to come had. AZ you know. my tri-
umphs, but this was the first time tasted
blood and the cheers OF the crowded and
delighted pit lifted me into the seventh
heaven" Masks and Faces. proving
great success. Reade produced the noyel OF
Peg Wellington" originally giving Taylor
no credit for collaboration. On the latter
demonstrating with him on the line he had
taken Reade prefxed"to the novel the
dedication, dated Dec IS, 1852. ITO Tom
Taylor, my friend and eoadjutor in the COM
edy Of Masks and Faces to whom the
reader owes much Of the best matter OF
this tale.
In the sos the earnings Of English
playwrghts we're dsgracefully small For
Masks and Faces" which was a master
piece, Taylor and Reade between them re-
ceived from Webster the lessee of the
Haymarket, only fl5o Twenty-one years
after its original production Reade himself
paid GOO to redeem'and resume his rights In
Masks and Faces" For -The Lady of
LYONS" which, from the start, was an
astonishing success. Bulwer reoeired from
Macready only E2lO, and even that meagre
remuneration was returned. For Two
Lovesand Life the very best play written
by Taylor and Reade in collaboration,
they got between them but flO0. while
ESQ WAS the munificenty yhonorarium be-
slowed on Taylor for -The Ticket of Leave
Man., which. with the exception Of Ham
let. 1.-The Lady of Lyons" and East Lynne,
drew more money than any play that had
been acted up to that time, Dramatic
authors had Jared much better in the eigh
teenth century. In Garrick's time DR.,
johnson got f3is for ak nights of the very
bad play Irene: Lilo for George Barn
WE'LL fl,OOO; '-NiGht Thoughts Young
obtained large sum for The Revenge"
and Ell 900 for The Brothers; Goldsmith,
fl 900 for 'She Stoops to Conquer: while
at later period Holcroft got for The Road
to Ruin Ell 300, and for The Follies of a
Night translation of Beaurnarchais's
Figaro" fs0O; In the days of Reynolds
and Mrs Inchbald II was not an uncommon
thing for dramatist to receive Ell ,00O or
fl 800 cash for play, or even for an adapta-
ton: and it is recorded that George Colman
received G.. 900 for John Ball. Tfn pay
of English playwrights WAS at the worst
when Reade and Taylor wrote in conjunc-
ton. Soon afterward BoIt3cault inaugu-
rated the system which enabled him to. make
thousands and thousands OF pounds. out
Of the Colleen Bawn.E the -Octoroon.
.Arrah ma Pogue, "streets sod London.
and After Dark" In fact, hefiAads ihore
out OF one piece than Tom Taylor did out
Of hundred. Sing,Ilarly: enough the
Of English dramatic authors
arose from no preternstursl 'cuteness on
8 part. but, as he himself averred.
from the impecuniosity of an American
manager. who, being unable to pay the,
modest hoRorarium, of 81 900, to which the
author was entitled, suggeated as an eauiva-
lent certain percentage of the receipts.
Being hard up, BonricauIt accepted the
proposal. with mi.givings AZ 40 the results
To his amazement. instead OF the modest
sum on which he had originally counted.
he nettcd thousands and thousands Of
dollars Thenceforth he held on to the
custom. and introduced it in England. where
it prevails TO this day, .-.,
".
Charles Reade, as we have said. was a
man Of ardent temperament. In other
words. he vas susceptible, not to say in
Aammabe and 1t Is not difficult to discern
Ii Z .i~r.