The Washington herald., 1914-01-18


the great American actor Isidore Bruno,
she was producing a particularly poeti-
cal and fantastic Interpretation of the
Midsummer Nights Dream" in which
the artistic prominence was given to
Oberon and Titania, or, in other words,
to Bruno and herself.
She greeted both men with the beam
ing and battling smile which kept so
many males at just the same dangerous
distance from her. She acceped some
flowers from Cutler which were as trop-
ical and expensive as his victories; and
another sort of present from Sir Wilson
Seymour, offered later on and more
nonchalantly by that gentleman. For it
was against his breeding to show eager
ness, and against his conventional un-
conventionality to give anything so OBJ
vious as flowers. He had picked up a
| trife, he said. which was rather a curl
| osity; it was an ancient Greek dagger
of the Mycenaean epoch, and might well
have been worn in the time of Theseus
and Hippolyta; it was made of brass,
like all the heroic weapons, but, oddly
enough, sharp enough to prick any one
still. If it was of any interest to Miss
Rome, or could come in anywhere in
the play, he hoped she would
The inner door burst open, and big
figure appeared who was more of con-
trast to the explanatory Seymour than
even Capt. Cutler. Nearly six feet six
and of more than theatrical thew and
muscles, Isidore Bruno, in the gorgeous
leopard skin and golden-brown gar
ments of Oberon, looked like barbaric
god. He leaned on a sort of hunting
spear, which across theater looked a
slight silvery wand, but which in the
small and comparatively crowded room
looked as plain as pikestaff-and as
menacing. His vivid black eyes rolled
Mechanically; his bronzed face, handsome
as it was, showed at that moment a
combination OF high cheek bones with
set white teeth, which recalled certain
American conjectures about his origin
in the Southern plantations.
aurora" he began, in that deep voice
like drum of passion that had moved
SO many audiences, will you-"
He stopped indecisively, because a
sixth figure had suddenly presented it.
self just inside the Doorway figure
so incongruous in the scene as TO be al
most comic. 1t was a very short man
in the black uniform of the Roman Sec
ular clergy, and looking Especially in
such a presence as Bruno'S and Auro-
/ ra's) rather like the wooden Noah out
of the ark. He did not, however, seem
conscious of any contrast, but said with
dull civility:
Il believe Miss Rome sent for me-"
A shrewd observer might have re-
marked that the emotional temperature
rather rose at so Unconditional an inter-
ruption. A shrewd person might also
have noted yet odder thing. The man
like black wooden Noah (who was
not wholly without shrewdness) noted
it with considerable but contained
amusement. 1t was evident that the
great Aurora, though by no means in
different to the admiration of the other
sex, wanted at this moment to get rid
of all the men who admired her and be
left alone with the man who did not.
The little priest watched like d Napol-
comic campaign the swift precision of
her policy for expelling all, while ban
ishing none. Bruno, the big actor, was
SO babyish it was easy to send him off
in brute sulks, banging the door. Cutler,
the British officer, was pachydcrmatous
to ideas, but punctiliouS about behavior.
He would ignore all hints, but he
would rather die than ignore def
mite commission from a lady. As to
old Seymour, he had to be treated dif-
| ferently; he had to be left to the last
The only way to move him was to ap-
peal to him in confidence as an old
friend, to let him into the secret of the
clearance.
She went across to Capt. Cutler and
said in her sweetest flowers.
Il shall value all these flowers be-
cause they must be your favorite flow
ers. But they won't be complete, you
know, without my favorite flower. Do
go over to that shop around the corner
and get me some lilies-of-the-valley,
and then it will be quite lovely"
The first object of her diplomacy, the
exit of the enraged Bruno. was at once
achieved. He had already handed his
spear, in lordly style, like scepter, to
the piteous Parkinson; and was about
to assume one of the cushioned seats
like throne. But at this open appeal
% his rival there glowed in his opal
eyeballs all the sensitive insolence of
the slave; he knotted his enormous
brown fists for an instant, and then,
dashing open the door, disappeared into
his own apartments beyond. Bit mean
while Miss Rome's experiment in mo-
bilizing the British army had not sue
ceeded so simply as seemed probable.
a l.