T'hoofooltosccKcppSintiimJwT _ into thvToomdnd tfifTj: upon thv KnfcJ JBtfOTtthij booKShclvcs humok'thinK'iM God IThdlth ouhdstlTifnd UiKClto c °s>aSr. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 TjlOR a long time there had been talk of a -■- sumptuous revival of "As You Like It" at the St. James's, and in the January of 1885, after much earnest thought and careful prepara- tion, it was presented. Probably Shakespeare's beautiful pastoral comedy has never been so per- fectly staged. The picture of the lawn before Duke Frederick's palace, in which the wrestling bout took place, was perfect in every detail, and seemed to take the spectator back to the days of Charles YII. of France, in which the Hon. Lewis Wingfield, who had undertaken the adornment of the play, advised his clients to place the action. The forest and woodland scenes that followed were the most convincing of stage land- scapes, and about the whole production there was a tenderness not lost upon the true lover and appreciator of Shakespeare. 206 THE KENDALS If there was a mistake it lay in the fact that in his desire to present beautiful contrasts of rich colour in brocades, velvets, and the like, Mr. Wingfield had over-elaborated the dresses. Cer- tainly the followers of the exiled Duke in his forest home, who " killed the deer " and coveted " his leather skin and horns to wear " were a re- markably smart and well-groomed company. But Mr. Wingfield had no doubt idyllically pictured the French " Ardennes," and not the English " Arden " (with which Shakespeare was familiar and no doubt loved), where many of the poet's countrymen, rightly or wrongly, insist on pic- turing — " It was a lover and his lass That o'er the green cornfield did pass, In the spring time, the only pretty ring time. When birds do sing, hey ding a ding a ding Sweet lovers love the spring." Surely these must have been the Warwickshire lovers who breathed the flower-scented air between Shottery and Stratford-on-Avon ? The play, moreover, was most delicately and yet, within due limits, mirthfully rendered. Mrs. Kendal played Kosalind with all the grace and charm already spoken of by me in these pages ; Mr. Kendal was the manly, picturesque, and ST. JAMES'S THEATBE, 1884-1888 207 earnest Orlando of yore. Mr. Hare's appearance as, and reading of the very difficult part of, Touchstone was full of interest ; all the other parts were in admirably competent hands ; but '' As You Like It," though it delighted hundreds and hundreds of Shakespearean students, w^as not one of the St. James's great successes. The fact is that the habitues of that now most fashionable of playhouses had become accustomed to and relished more highly seasoned fare. They wanted modern plays containing a certain amount of excitement, and showing fault- lessly equipped drawing-rooms as backgrounds to the actions of society men and elegantly dressed women. When I took my French friend Frederic Achard to see this Shakespearean revival he was delighted with the staging and costumes, but, in all serious- ness, said, " I find him a bad author ! " A little after this I met some friends who I knew were faithful frequenters of the stalls of the St. James's, and asked them w^hat they thought of this, the latest production ? " Oh," they said, " we haven't been to see it, and we don't mean to go. It's Shakespeare, isn't it ? Yes ; well, we went to see a play of his — ' Hamlet,' wasn't it, at the Lyceum ? Yes ; and we were awfully bored. 208 THE KENDALS We don't like tragedy, so what's the use of our going to see Shakespeare ? " I assured them that " As You Like It " was comedy at its best, and persuaded them to go and see the production with me. Alas ! Alas ! After an almost piteous effort to be interested in it, they quietly slumbered by my side. The story goes that when, quite recently, Madame Sarah Bernhardt was playing in her French version of " Hamlet " in London, a stall- holder at the Adelphi asked his neighbour to tell him " why the young Danish Prince was so furious with his Uncle Claudius ? " " Well, you remember in the play " began the response — " Yes, yes," interrupted the questioner, " but it's a long time since I tackled Shakespeare, and I never was too good at reading French authors ! " Many people of this class exist who are more than half willing to pay their half-guineas for their stalls, but who want in their after-dinner hours to be roused by a more easily grasped and stirring entertainment. Possibly it was because they realised this that the partners resolved that their next experiment should be an EngHsh version of M. Victorien Sardou's "La Maison Neuve," which, although it had created a furore at the Paris Vaudeville in MK. KENDAL AS " OKLANDO ST. JA3IES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 200 the far-off year of 1866, had been passed over by the ever-watchful EngHsh adaptor as being too strong meat for British digestion. To Mr. Pinero was entrusted the difficult task of transplanting this tabooed fruit to English soil, and boiling it down and sweetening it to suit English tastes, and with marvellous skill and tact he executed it. And yet, even as served up by this master chef, " Mayfair," as it was called, proved rather too spicy for EngHsh palates. Those who saw "Mayfair" were interested, excited, and even startled, and critics and public alike were loud in their praises of the powerful yet refined acting of Mr. and Mrs. Kendal, Mr. Hare, and their comrades ; but (worst of all faults in a play) the characters, with one exception, were utterly un- worthy of sympathy, and I think that was why few people wanted, however much it had absorbed them once, to see " Mayfair" twice. Let the great scene of the play be pictured and the reason is not far to seek. Geoffrey Koydant, a speculative and successful young stockbroker, and Agnes his good but society-smitten wife, desert their good friend and guardian in his old- style but substantial house in Bloomsbury for the veneer of the " New House " on which they have set their hearts in fascinating Mayfair. Here the 15 210 THE KENDALS utterly unprincipled, handsome, Lord Sulgrave makes a friend of the easily flattered Eoydant, and deliberately resolves to steal his wife's honour. Featherhead though she is, she has no real thought of wronging her husband, but in affairs of this kind ("woman-stalking" he would pro- bably, as he lounged at his club, call his favourite "sport"), Sulgrave is a man of skill and expe- rience, and he contrives to become an inmate of the home he means in sheer wantonness to wreck. There comes a time when the husband is away, and she, having just returned from some late-houred festivity, is sitting alone in her boudoir. There, in her solitude, and in the stillness of the night, the evil-intentioned Sul- grave confronts her. An exciting scene follows, and the man being suddenly seized with an attack of faintness, grasps at a phial of chloral, and, apparently lifeless, falls to the ground. At this awful moment the husband, accompanied by a police detective, unexpectedly returns, the officer wishing to interrogate Mr. Eoydant con- cerning a fraudulent and absconding cashier. It is a grim situation. In her terror the wretched woman has contrived to conceal Sulgrave 's body behind a sofa. With the keen eyes of the detective glancing now upon her, ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 211 and now upon her surroundings, she has to strain her nerves to breaking-point to prevent discovery, and when on the first night the scene ended the audiences first gave a great gasp of reHef, and then abundantly applauded Mrs. Kendal in recognition of the supreme force of her acting. A powerful situation undoubtedly, but not a very wholesome one — not one in which Mrs. Kendal's warmest and most appreciative audiences liked to see her figuring. In " May- fair " Mr. Kendal had no great acting oppor- tunities, and his wife shared honours with Mr. Hare, who, as the sound-minded, warm-hearted Nicholas Barrable of Bloomsbury, was delightful. It would be unfair to take leave of " Mayfair " without making mention of the admirable cha- racter studies contributed by Mr. C. Brooktield and Mr. Hendrie, and the convincing acting of Mr. C. Cartwright as the designing Sulgrave. Mr. Hendrie 's name has recently figured in the bills of the St. James's as one of the clever and fortunate authors of " The Elder Miss Blossom." In 1899 " Mayfair" would probably have had a better chance than in the comparatively primitive days of 1885. As it was, it gave way to a revival of the ever- welcome " Im- 212 THE KENDALS pulse," in which the Kendals were once more cheered to the echo. I have always thought that the next produc- tion at the St. James's ought to have been a permanent success. It was popular enough at the time both in London and the provinces, but, as far as I know, it has never been revived. " Antoinette Eigaud," adapted from the French of M. Raymond Deslandes by Mr. Ernest Warren (the play came to England stamped with the hall-mark of the Comedie Eran9aise), was in every respect a charming work. It might have been made "risky," but its subject was most delicately treated ; the story was an exciting as well as an affecting one ; the uniforms of French officers and the dainty toilettes of Parisian ladies rendered a series of eye-pleasing stage pictures ; and the acting could not have been excelled. The "suggestion" of the play lay merely in the fact that a loving and pure-minded wife was, through force of circum- stances, placed in a compromising situation, from which, after some very skilfully contrived situations, she emerged scathless. It is true that one facetious critic was enabled to say, " Indiscreet gentlemen are always coming to ladies' bedrooms at the St. James's Theatre. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 213 Mrs. Kendal is continually attacked in this unseemly fashion. Yesterday in ' Mayfair,' to-day in 'Antoinette Rigaud.' " But there was not a dewdrop of harm in poor Antoinette Rigaud, a part that was interpreted with consummate skill by Mrs. Kendal. Mr. Hare and Mr. Kendal were both seen to high advantage as General de Prefond and Henri de Tourrel, and the trio were excellently supported by Mr. Barnes, Mr; Herbert Waring, Mr. Hen- drie, Mr. Paget, Mr. R. Cathcart, Miss Linda Dietz, and Miss Webster. It was generally acknowledged that, as a whole, the performance had not been excelled in the annals of one of the best comedy companies London had ever seen. Better acting, it was allowed, could not be found at any theatre in Paris. And yet, though it was only produced in the February of 1886, it was succeeded in May by Messrs. Sydney Grundy and Sutherland Edwards's adaptation in five acts of the " Martyre " of MM. D'Ennery and Tarbe, entitled " The Wife's Sacrifice." This was not a piece likely to have very prolonged hold on English audiences, for in our islands we do not believe that a wife's first duty is not to her husband or herself, but to her father and 214 THE KENDALS mother. Whether we are right or wrong is not for me to say, but it certainly occurs to me that, as set forth in " The Wife's Sacrifice," such a state of things would be at least uncon- vincing to the husband. In this play it was to save disaster and disgrace falling on her mother's grey head, and to support her father's sense of honour, that Isabelle, Countess de Moray, suffered her mother's son to be shot dead before her eyes, confessing and even protesting that she had a lover, and living alone in disgrace, while her husband, who had been, not unnaturally, divorced from her, contracted a second mar- riage with a worthless bride. Truly was it said that, had Isabelle revealed to her husband in the second act that secret which is not discovered until the fifth, she would have acted as any common-sense woman ought when her own happiness and that of her husband and daughter are in danger. When the wife who sacrificed herself and her husband from a mistaken sense of duty was admirably acted, a momentary sympathy only was aroused for a mistaken woman. The audience, carried away by the energy and power of the actress, were led into a false commiseration, which was ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 215 imniediatel}^ shattered after a moment's calm reflection. It was this fault, no doubt, that militated against the permanent popularity of the play on Enghsh boards. Mr. Kendal, as the hus- band, made a "husband's sacrifice" by once more, for the "good of the house," taking a difficult and uncongenial part. Mr. Hare was able to score in a bright character study, but Mrs. Kendal made the success of the produc- tion, and of her acting I will quote a critic, who said: "Mrs. Kendal's interpretation of the Countess de Moray was remarkably fine. In speaking of Mrs. Kendal's performance I use the word ' interpretation ' because she is one of the few actresses who aim at giving a complete, consistent rendering of character. She is for the time being the woman she represents. She loses herself entirely in her part, and in this respect she might with advantage be imitated by her younger sisters in the theatrical profession. Her interpreta- tion of the life of this unhappy woman was rich with thought, illuminated by intelligence, and rendered unusually interesting by its com- pleteness. It was not merely striking here and there, but it was all acting should accompHsh, a perfectly consistent rendering of character." 216 THE KENDALS By the time a change of programme was required Mr. Pinero was ready with another original play, and "The Hobby Horse" was staged.^ Because Mr. Kendal found in the comedy no part that he thought he could play to advantage — and Mrs. Kendal was said by some critics to be misfitted as Mrs. Spencer Jermyn — the wiseacres said that "the Kendals had never liked the play." Some time before its production they gave it to me to read, asking me to tell them frankly what I thought of it. When I said that to my' notion no more witty or original piece had been written for many a long day, they laughed and with manifest dehght said, " Yes ! that's just what we think ! " and then they dipped into it and, with keen relish, quoted its raciest lines. Of course the great part of " The Hobby Horse " was that allotted to Mr. Hare, and, as Mr. Spencer Jermyn, the cheery, spruce, and precise "patron of the turf," now urbane, now peppery, and appropriately nicknamed " Nettles " by his wife, he played with consum- mate art. With Mr. Pinero he came in for his full share of well-merited praise, but it was somewhat freely contended that in the great scene of the play Mrs. Kendal took her part too seriously. ST. JAMES'S THEATBE, 1884-1888 217 If one glances at the situation, it is difficult to see how she could read it, or play it, from any other point of view. A true-hearted but wilful young wife, with an intense desire to do good to the poor, rashly undertakes to assist a poor curate in the slums of London, and through force of circumstances has to pass herself off as an unmarried woman. The curate, a perfect type of the manly, self-sacrificing, and devoted English clergyman (how well the Reverend Noel Brice was played by Mr. Herbert Waring !), falls in love with her. She knows that his devotion is sincere, and that by deceiving him she has most cruelly treated him. Could a tender- hearted woman fail to feel and to show remorse ? The truth is that in such a comedy as " The Hobby Horse " the situation was not only an unexpectedly serious one, but a very difficult one for actors to handle. It was one of those copious squeezes of lemon-juice with which Mr. Pinero loves to flavour his bowls of fragrant punch. It is good for all of us that he some- times dons the cap and bells, but even then he never fails to let us see that it covers a very searching brain. To say that "The Hobby Horse" was a "piece before its time" is to use a "vile 218 THE KENDALS phrase " ; and yet I think Mr. Hare found it far better understood when, at the earnest advice of his friends, he revived it a year or so ago. Mr. Bret Harte (it was on the eve of Mr. Hare's departure to America) wrote to me : " I have a very vivid recollection of Hare's delivery of the apology forced from Spencer Jermyn by his wife in the last act of ' The Hobby Horse.' The language is very simple — as Pinero always is when he is most subtle — so simple, I should hesitate to transcribe it ; but Pinero knew that Hare could inform it with the very spirit of the irony he intended, so that it stands out now with Hare's delivery as one of the most delight- ful and sarcastic resumes of the moral and senti- mental situations of a play I ever witnessed." But in talking it over with me Bret Harte admitted that John Hare could not have made this great coioj) unaided by the matchless way in which it was led up to by Mrs. Kendal. By the way, it must not be forgotten that for the original production of " The Hobby Horse " Mrs. Beerbohm Tree temporarily joined the forces at the St. James's, and delighted every one, not only by her charming presence, but by her ample appreciation of the whimsically drawn character of Miss Moxon. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 219 In the February of 1887 the highest of com- phments was paid to the Kendals. Their artistic excellence, coupled with their personal charm, had not failed to reach the ears of her Majesty, Queen Victoria. In the earlier days of her reign her Majesty had evinced a very keen as well as a very critical interest in the drama, but when, by the sadly early death of the Prince Consort, her life became so changed and over- shadowed, she had, together with other recrea- tions, abandoned the theatres. Some good stage fairy must have whispered in her ear that she would do well to see a performance by the Kendals, and to their great gratification they received a " command " to appear before her at Osborne. Thither they went, and a very de- lightful and gratifying experience they had. At Southampton they were met by a Eoyal steam launch, and, crossing to Cowes, were from thence escorted to the Queen's beautiful home in the Isle of Wight. There they found a little stage erected for them in the Council Chamber, and right royal hospitality at their disposal. The play chosen was Mr. W. S. Gilbert's clever two-act comedy " Sweethearts," in which Mr. Coghlan and Mrs. Bancroft had appeared at the old Prince of Wales's Theatre in 1874, and 220 TBE KENDALS the Kendals had shone in the provinces. A better selection could not have been made, for, in the right hands, the play gives scope for much quiet humour as v^ell as an infinity of pathos, and as it was preceded by "Uncle's Will," the daintiest of programmes was secured. The third and only other performer in these two plays was that sound old actor, Mr. E. Cathcart. Directly the curtain went up on Theyre Smith's sparkling comedietta the Queen, in no uncer- tain way, evinced her appreciation, and gave the somewhat nervous actors heart ; and so the success of the evening was at once a thing assured. Her Majesty, it should be noted, was surrounded by her Court, and the servants of the household were also permitted to enjoy the entertainment. At the conclusion of the per- formance the Kendals were presented to the Queen ; Mrs. Kendal was cordially enjoined to " kiss hands," and probably for the first time in the annals of the stage actors were made at home in this private gathering of the Court. Her Majesty was more than gracious, frankly saying how much she had enjoyed the perform- ance, and asking many questions that showed how truly her interest had been aroused. Subsequently when the Queen, having again ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 221 offered her hand to Mrs. Kendal to be kissed, had retired, supper was announced, and the heroine of a memorable evening was led in by Prince Henry of Battenburg. I use the word " memorable " because, although since 1887 many of our leading actors and actresses have appeared before the Queen, it should never be forgotten that the Kendals were the first to be invited, and (by the good impression they created), to most happily reawaken our Sovereign's interest in the stage. And so, having by special desire signed their names in the Queen's birthday-book, the Kendals, full of most gratifying recollections, re-crossed the Solent in the Eoyal Yacht Alberta, and returned to their work at the St. James's. As a souvenir of the occasion Mrs. Kendal very soon received a little parcel, addressed, "To Mrs. Kendal Grimston, from her Majesty the Queen," and within it found a beautifully designed brooch presenting the royal crown studded with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. They were especially busy at the St. James's just then, for it had been decided to revive Tom Taylor's fine historical drama, " Lady Clan- carty," with every attention to accuracy in the 222 THE KENDALS way of scenery, dresses, appointments, and effects that cost and study, coupled with the latest developments of stage-craft, could suggest. When the play had been produced at the Olympic, in 1874, the audiences were more intent on the impressive acting of Mr. Henry Neville, Mr. W. H. Yernon, Mr. G. W. Anson, Miss Ada Cavendish, and their supporters than upon their stage surroundings. But in 1887 playgoers had become spoiled — the Hare- Kendal management had helped to do it ! — and demanded a feast for the eye as well as a treat for the ear, and almost ignored a demand upon imagination. Nay, critics, or some of them, had become so exacting, that the smallest anachronism was pointed out by the expert eye. From these points of view very little fault could be found with "Lady Clancarty " when the play was revived at the St. James's on March 3, 1887. As far as scenery, dresses, appointments, and stage pictures went, there was nothing but praise from the critics — indeed there could be nothing but praise — but in some quarters it was urged that the theatre was not the right one for such a play, that the audiences who were wont to fill it had no sympathy or liking for an historical-heroic form of entertain- ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 223 rnent, and certainly the actors and actresses must have been chilled by the gloom with which their fashionable patrons received the most thrilling situations, and the apathy with which the tender speeches and romantic passages were heard. The fact is that the St. James's audiences did not quite understand it, and the accuracy of the production was thrown away upon them. It has been recorded that on the first night when King AYilliam III. led the Princess Anne through the private apartment of the Earl of Portland to see his beloved tulip garden, one occupant of the stalls said to his neighbour, "Isn't this awfully vulgar?" and that this was the general feeling of the stall liahitues. That the cheaper parts of the house knew better and showed their solid appreciation by reiterated applause is a thing of course. The piece could hardly have been better cast. In the fine parts of Lord and Lady Clancarty Mr. and Mrs. Kendal were supported by Mrs. Beerbohm Tree (very bright and winsome as Lady Betty Noel), that perfectly finished actress Mrs. Gaston Murray, and by Mr. Herbert Waring, Mr. E. Cathcart, Mr. Ben Webster, Mr. H. Bedford, and Mr. Hendrie. Disappointment 224 THE KENDALS was felt that Mr. Hare did not appear as William III., but he found an irreproachable substitute in Mr. Mackintosh. In connection with her impersonation of Lady Clancarty Mrs. Kendal acknowledges her in- debtedness to critics.* " When the play was first produced," she says, " nearly all the criticisms on me were adverse ; in some cases the writers — gentlemen in whose opinion I have the greatest faith, and for whose judgment I have the greatest admiration — pointed out most kindly to me where they thought my reading and my view of the character were wrong. First impressions had been made by a very beautiful and extremely talented woman (Miss Ada Cavendish), and I daresay to some extent militated against me — for first impressions always are the strongest, and it is quite right they should be. I felt so instinctively that their criticisms were right, that I worked very, very hard at my part for weeks and weeks. I went on a long tour with it in the country, and tried it in many different ways, and eventually when I returned to reopen the St. James's Theatre in the winter season with it the * "Dramatic Opinions," by Mrs. Kendal. Murray's Magazine, 1889. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 225 criticisms were most generous and kind, and I was highly praised for the improvement I had made in my part. I cannot now call to mind every instance in which I have remembered the criticisms which have been written about me — w^here I have instinctively felt that they w^ere right and I was wrong, and I altered my part ac- cordingly. I have great admiration for the writ- ings of some theatrical critics, w^ho, whenever they have to say anything unkind, do so in a very gentlemanly way, and in a kindly spirit, and who, if they praise you, do so to the utmost of their power. This of course is in violent contrast wdth those critics who are led, more or less, by personal feeling of like or dislike to the artist they are criticising, or with those people who make it a point of turning everything into ridicule, no matter what you may attempt from a high art point of view." For a long time the Kendals had held in view a revival of George W. Lovell's play, " The Wife's Secret," which in the " forties," with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean, Mr. Howe, Mr. Benjamin Webster, and Mrs. Keeley in the cast, had been extremely popular. In the country and America too it had proved one of the Charles Keans' trump cards. It is what is known in 16 226 THE KENDALS theatrical circles as a "man and wife" play, and from that point of view seemed eminently suited to the Kendals. Since their wedding day they have never played apart from each other, and although this rigidly kept rule has often kept the one or the other from accepting a tempting engagement, it has endeared them to the public. They like to know that on the eve of their marriage Mrs. Kendal's father begged them always to act together, that they promised, and have kept their word. They love to see them acting together, and they have an especial fondness for the plays in which husband and wife appear as husband and wife. " The Wife's Secret " sets forth an interesting story of misunderstanding and reconciliation ; the period in which it is set gives scope for picturesque dressing and stage mounting, and for most of the characters engaged in its action it affords excellent opportunities. The time for its revival seemed ripe, and the usual outlay and care were lavished on the production. Indeed, I remember accompanying Mr. Kendal to a fine old Elizabethan mansion in order that he might make accurate drawings of the old oak panelling, window-seats, doorways, and the like, for reproduction in his elaborate set scenes. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE, 1884-1888 227 On April 9, 1888, the play was presented at the St. James's and behind the curtain all promised well. But in front of it, and long before it had risen, one could hear the ill- omened word, "old fashioned," passed from mouth to mouth. The audience pre-condemned it as " old fashioned," and, in spite of the really fine acting of Mr. and Mrs. Kendal, Miss Fanny Brough, Mr. Lewis Waller, Mr. Mackintosh, and other members of the cast, told their friends it loas " old fashioned " and advised them to stay away ! They did, and after a very brief run the piece was withdrawn. With a little en- couragement the Kendals might have put long new life into good old work. I should think that when she noted these dwindling audiences Mrs. Kendal, for the first time in her own experiences, must have been humorously reminded of one of her favourite stories — that of " Mrs. Smith's Quilt " — which relates how a provincial company on tour, playing for the first time in a small country town, were dismayed at the emptiness of the house. Both play and players were w^ell known and popular, and they were justified in expecting a good audience. Vexed at the neglect shown them, they asked the manager, who had eagerly sought 228 THE KENDALS the engagement, if he could in any way account for it. "Well," he said, "I don't quite under- stand it; but you see Mrs. Smith was raffling her patchwork quilt last night, and it may be the people all went there !" Mrs. Kendal maintains that a " Mrs. Smith's Quilt " has often been found useful in accounting for empty benches. In 1888 the partnership of Messrs. Hare and Kendal came to an end, and (to the great regret of the public) with it their occupation of the St. James's. For their closing seasons they presented a welcome series of revivals of their most notable successes, and on July 21st bade farewell to the house which they had conducted with as much credit to themselves as advantage to their patrons. At the fall of the curtain Mr. Hare came forward, and in a brief but eloquent speech reviewed the work that had been done and thanked the public for their constant sympathy and encouragement. He wound up by saying : " I must also publicly thank the partner w^hose loyal aid and help I have enjoyed for so many years ; Mrs. Kendal, whose talents have shed lustre and given vitality to so many of our productions ; and a company many of whom I am proud to count as friends of old standing. ST. JAMES'S THEATBE, 1884-1888 229 and a devoted staff of officials and servants, for being in a position at this present moment of hoping I may enjoy some portion of your confi- dence and regard in the future." Responding to an enthusiastic call, Mr. Kendal said : " For Mrs. Kendal and myself I must cordially and gratefully endorse all that my friend Mr. Hare has just said in acknowledg- ment of the great indulgence and the most generous support which we have received at your hands during our tenancy of this theatre. We have had more successes and fewer failures than fall to the lot of average managers. It would be an affectation on my part were I to be restrained by any unworthy bashfulness for declaring that for our successes we are princi- pally indebted to Mrs. Kendal. With Mrs. Kendal we have done what we have done; without her, we could, indeed, have done but little. No one, I am sure, will more sincerely endorse this avowal than my late partner, to whose uninterrupted friendship, hearty loyalty, and generous co-operation during our entire con- nection I now most gladly bear testimony. Next to Mrs. Kendal, we are indebted to the zealous assistance and unsparing efforts of our entire company and staff, who, without exception, have 230 THE KENDALS done their utmost in aiding us to earn the com- mendation so liberally accorded by our critics, to whom we gratefully admit our obligations. One of the kindest and yet keenest of our critics has said that the partnership now terminated has been productive of much interesting and memorable work. If we have done this, I may frankly say we have realised our highest ambi- tion. In closing a connection of such long duration, and parting from our company, our partner, and the theatre which has been for so many years our home, we have but words of heartfelt gratitude for the past and confident hope for the future. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to say, in this place, farewell. We separate from our recent associations with no inconsiderable pain. Ties such as we have maintained with the St. James's Theatre through all these years are not broken without regret. We go each our own way, with no shadow of rivalry save the worthy rivalry of striving each for himself and herself to earn a continuance of your favour, and to sustain the honour of our profession." And so this bright chapter in dramatic history came, as all things do, to an end. We would fain have had it a longer one, but beneath it the ST. JAMES'S THEATBE, 1884-1888 231 stage historian had to write the generally painful word — " FINIS." But it lives in the memory of thousands, and it by no means exhausted the theatrical triumphs of Mr. Hare and the Kendals, who were probably never more popular than they are to-day. CHAPTER IX AMERICA TT7HEN, soon after the termination of the ^ * partnership with Mr. Hare, the Kendals announced their intention of playing in America, there were plenty of croakers ready to prognosticate failure. "It was too late for such a venture," they said; "all their best plays had been done there ; other English actors and actresses had gone out and failed ; and how did the Kendals know that their style of acting would suit trans-Atlantic playgoers'? Oh no ! It was a most unwise expedition, and no doubt they would live to regret it." Naturally modest, the Kendals had their own misgivings, but that most astute, cool-headed, and charming-mannered of American managers, Mr. Daniel Frohman, under whose guidance the engagement was to be fulfilled, would reassure them with his confident smile and his quiet 234 THE KENDALS remark : " Leave it all to me. I know America, and it's quite big enough to take care of you." Of course their English friends could not let them go away without a "God-speed" and an affectionate an revoir, and a committee of those most intimate with them and who held their welfare at heart was quickly formed. In England no celebration is complete without a dinner, and their deliberations resulted as follows : — FAREWELL BANQUET TO MR. AND MRS. KENDAL. Prior to their Departure for America. THE RT. HON. JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P. Chairman. Tuesday, July 16, 1889. Whiteball Rooms: The Hotel Metropole, London. COMMITTEE : The Earl of Radnor. A. W. Pinero. The Earl of Fife. W. G. Cusms. The Earl of Londesborough. Ai-thur Cecil. Lord Cranborne, M.P. Beerbohm Tree. Lord Rowton. Frank H. Hill. Sir Hy. James, Q.C., M.P. Joseph Knight. Sir Chas. Russell, Q.C., M.P. A. W. Dubourg. AMERICA 235 Committee {continued). Sir A. K. Rollit. LL.D., M.P. Sir WUliam Dalby. Sir C. Forster, Bart., M.P. Sir J. E. MiUais, Bart., R.A. Sir Henry Edwards. Charles HaU, Q.C., M.P. Horace Farquhar. Edward L. Lawson. Frank Lockwood, Q.C., M.P. F. A. Inderwick, Q.C. John Hare. Dr. Quain. Maclainc of Lochbuie. John L. Toole. Walter S. Bailey. Arthur Rollit. Robert H. Wyndhani, Frank D. Finlay. P. Hardwacke. Edward Ledger. L. Sterne. T. Edgar Pemberton. Montagu Williams, Q.C. Lennox Browne, F.R.C.S. Alexander Dennistoun. Edmund Routledge. Marcus Stone, R.A. H. Brackenbury, C.B., Lt.-Gen. LIST OF TOASTS. " The Queen." The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Royal Family." "Our Guests: Mr. and Mrs. Kendal." Mr. Kendal will reply. Presentation to Mrs. Kendal. Mrs. Kendal will reply. " The Drama." Proposed by Sir. Chas. Russell, M.P. Mr. J. L. Toole will reply. "The Chairman and Mrs. Chamberlain." Proposed by Mr. John Hare. The Chairman will reply. Selection of Music by The Bijou Orchestra. Conductor : Mr. J. Pough&r. Concerning the choice of a chairman there had naturally been much discussion, but as- suredly no better man than Mr. Chamberlain could have been chosen. Then (as he is now) 236 THE KENDALS he was one of the most promment of our statesmen ; he was then (as he is now) in sympathetic touch with America ; he had recently married a charming and most gifted American lady, who had immediately won a front place in and endeared herself to not only the highest of social circles, but to all English folk with whom she came in contact ; he was as good and genial an after-dinner speaker as he was an impressive political orator; and he had always taken an ardent interest in the drama. How keen that interest had at one time been no one who entered the Hotel Metropole on the evening of July 16, 1889, knew better than myself. In the course of the proceedings (it was in his happy response to the enthusiastically received proposal of his own health) he said : " I do not believe myself that there is anybody here who can say, as your chairman can proudly say, that he has written a comedy which had the honour of being submitted to the late Mr. Eobson, and by him immediately rejected as totally unsuitable for his own or any other stage." This was said laughingly, and excited laughter, but Mr. Chamberlain once told me how, in his AMERICA 237 young daj^s, he had earnestly hoped to become a successful dramatist, and had been disappointed as one by one his pieces were rejected. When I suggested that no doubt they would be accepted now. he smiled and impHed that in that direction his ambition had been lived down. Then, in his early Birmingham days, he had been a most accomplished amateur actor, and many people still talk of the excellence of his performances at the house of his friend, Mr. C. E. Mathews, the famous mountaineer and one of the founders of the Alpine Club — Mr. Mathews, by the way, used to " mount " his bijou productions with singular care and taste — as Puff in Sheridan's "Critic" and Young Wilding in Foote's "The Liar." Certainly there could have been no better president of the Kendal banquet than Mr. Chamberlain; and as in Mr. Frank Dalzell Finlay (known to every one and popular with every one in leading political, literary, and artistic circles) an enthusiastic honorary secre- tary was found, the success of the enterprise was a thing assured. The handsome Whitehall Rooms of the Hotel Metropole looked especially bright when on the evening of the entertainment Mr. Chamberlain took his place. To the right 238 THE KENDALS and left of him were Mr. and Mrs. Kendal, to the right and left of them were the Earl of Londesborough and Mrs. Chamberlain, and the other occupants of the seats at the high table were Mr. and Mrs. John Hare, the Dowager Marchioness of Waterford, Lord Eowton, Lord Ardilaun, Sir Joseph Fayrer, Sir C. Eussell, Q.C., M.P., Lady Bruce Seton, Sir Edgar Boehm, E.A., Miss Genevieve Ward, Sir Morell Mackenzie, Mrs. Brydes Williams, Lady Ardi- laun, Mr. F. C. Burnand, Lady Eussell, Sir Bruce Seton, Lady Morell Mackenzie, Sir A. K. Eollit, M.P., Lady Colvile, the Hon. Mrs. Lawrence, the Hon. C. Lawrence, Sir Arthur and Lady Blomfield, Sir Frederick Smythe, Sir F. Goldsmid, and Sir Henry Edwards. At the seven tables that, horseshoe fashion, spread from the high table were nearly two hundred well- known ladies and gentlemen, all personal friends of the Kendals, and all right truly wishing them success. When Mr. Chamberlain rose to propose the toast of the evening he found a good-humoured, expectant, and appreciative audience, anxious to listen to him ; and in his usual deft way he made a speech exactly suited to the occasion. " I have now the pleasure," he said, " of pro- AMEBIC A 239 posing the toast of the evening, Mr. and Mrs. Kendal, whom we shall accompany with our best wishes on the occasion of their first visit to our cousins across the water. I am very grateful to the committee for having made me your mouthpiece on this occasion, although I am prepared for the expression of some surprise that such a distinction should have been con- ferred on a mere politician, whose professional avocations have so little in common at first sight with the art to which our guests have devoted their lives. Ladies and gentlemen," he continued after the interruption of laughter, " I see that you have anticipated me. That is the first impression, and it is a hasty and inaccurate one, because the drama which has been pro- gressing for so many centuries on the boards of St. Stephen's, which has had the longest run of any play, and which has excited a certain amount of popular interest and appreciation, justifies my presence here to-night. " I claim for the House of Commons that we also are the abstract and brief chroniclers of the time — not so brief as we might be, but that is a detail — and at least among our members you will find the most versatile actors of the day. Each man in his time plays many parts ; all styles 240 THE KENDALS and all branches of the profession are repre- sented. We have those who ' tear passion to tatters ' — to very rags — and we have others who are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb- show and noise. We have our leading gentle- men, our heavy fathers, our light comedians ; and there are clowns who forget the injunction of Hamlet, and who set out to make a certain quality of spectators laugh, although some neces- sary questions of the play have at this time to be considered. Ladies and gentlemen, you will see that there is a competition between St. Stephen's and the legitimate drama, and that may perhaps account for the fact, which I deplore, that when, occasionally, the Legislature concerns itself with the dramatic profession, it does so in a certain spirit of criticism and suspicion whichisaltogether unworthy of the subject. . . . " I have thought sometimes that, with all our advantages, the tendency of the age is to too great monotony, and that therefore we ought to welcome anything that relieves our somewhat ordinary but colourless existence. The imagina- tion of men has to be cultivated as well as their material existence provided for, and the imagina- tion of men grows on the creations of genius, which are, in many cases, developed for us and Photo by] ' ♦ l,[W^ttJowd: Gmve^ MR. AND MRS. KENDAL IN " DIPLOMACi-.'; * ', I ' ', ,' ! ,' • AMERICA 241 interpreted by the skill of the actor. It is the actor who clothes the creations of genius, who gives them life, and who impresses upon the hearts and minds of men the thoughts and words of the greatest writers of all time. I know it has been said by a somewhat jaundiced critic that an actor is a man who repeats in- differently a portion of a tale invented by another ; but you will agree with me that that is a very imperfect and insufficient definition ; and that every true actor imparts something of himself to the creations that he illustrates, that he supplements and completes his author ; and I think it is probable that some of the greatest literary possessions we enjoy, possessions of all time, the heritages of the ages, would never have seen the light but for the certainty that they would find competent and skilled inter- pretation in the genius of the actor. ''I can understand how in these circumstances in other times and other countries the State has not thought it beneath its duty to foster and mature the stage and encourage it by material aid and support. Here, according to our wont, we leave everything to individual effort. We have left it to the actors themselves to maintain the best traditions of the Enghsh stage, and you 17 242 THE KENDALS will agree with me that foremost among living actors our guests have done what in them lay to uphold a lofty and worthy ideal. The school of English comedy, the school which holds the mirror up to nature, and which has depicted for us with so much grace and simplicity the passing incidents of contemporary life and manners, has had no more delicate and no more intelligent exponents. " If there are any persons still who think that staginess, that a mannered gait and presentation are essential consequences of taking to the boards, let Mr. and Mrs. Kendal undeceive them. They have been, I think I may say, nurtured on the stage ; all their lives have been inseparably connected with it. We may also say that there they have gained their education; that they learned their letters in the ' Hies,' and I believe it is historical that they pursued their courtship at the ' wings.' Since then they have been constantly before the footlights, yet they remain what we know them — the frank and natural, the courteous and kindly English lady and gentleman. The esteem in which they are held on this side of the water may be judged by this gathering, one of the most representative that I have ever had the honour of attending. AMEBICA 243 " Here are brought together representatives of the professions of the law, of divinity — I am glad to say — of medicine, politics, and judicial luminaries, and not least some of the ablest and foremost representatives of the profession which our guests themselves follow. We are met here to honour them. We are met here to show our respect for their private worth and character, as well as for their public abilities ; and we bespeak for them kindly welcome from our kinsfolk — our American cousins. We are confident that their talents w411 justify our commendation, and will ensure a happy result to the new enterprise in which they are embarking. I propose to you, my lords, ladies, and gentlemen — ' The health of Mr. and Mrs. Kendal.' " It need not be said that these happy remarks were constantly interrupted by applause and other tokens of approbation, and that when Mr. Kendal rose to respond to them he was received with loud cheering. " Although I earn my hving," he said, " by speaking in public, public speaking is by no means my strong point. I am so accustomed to have words found for me — words infinitely more choice than I could find for myself — that on this occasion I am indeed much at a loss ; 244 THE KENDALS for it would require a copious selection of all the most grateful phrases in the English language to express, even in an inadequate manner, the feelings with which Mrs. Kendal and I are inspired by this most remarkable and most significant manifestation of your friendship and regard. That such a number of our personal friends should have assembled this evening to wish us God-speed on the long journey which is before us, is indeed a practical proof of affection and good-will, of which we may well be proud, and by which we are certainly most deeply touched. We see around us many old friends who have for years rejoiced with us when we had reason to rejoice, and sympathised with us in our times of trial. We see many, in various positions of life, who have encouraged and sus- tained us with unfailing generosity ; have aided us with their counsel, and have sometimes corrected us when we were wrong with whole- some criticism and needful admonition. We see also, to our delight, many stanch friends in our own profession who have come here to-night to join in this demonstration and to give us a prac- tical assurance of their friendship ; dramatic authors, too, to whose talents we are indebted for many plays which we have been able success- AMEBICA 245 fully to interpret. These long rows of friendly faces bring back the memories of many a first night of a new piece, when the anxiety with which we were naturally filled was relieved by your kindly encouragement and your generous consideration. " I shall not pretend to say that in the enter- prise which we are about to undertake we are entirely free from anxiety. It is no small matter for us to cross the broad Atlantic with a theat- rical company and their equipment, and in a fresh and untried country appeal to the verdict of a new audience. But our venture is cheered by this signal manifestation of your cordiality and good wishes, which are even already endorsed by most sjaiipathetic assurances of welcome that have arrived from over the sea. Naturally we are most anxious that our visit to America should be a success, and to attain that end we shall devote all the abilities we possess, all the re- sources we can command, and such experience as we have gained in the course of our profes- sional life. It is our ambition not only to succeed in pleasing the American public, but in uphold- ing and extending the repute of the British dramatic profession. " If anything, sir, could enhance the gratifica- 246 THE KENDALS tion and pride of this moment, it would be your presence in the chair on this, to us, one of the most interesting social events of our lives, and the presence also of the accomplished lady who bears your name. Her presence here this even- ing we accept as a happy augury of our reception in the great country which is the land of her birth. To the kind and generous and all too flattering words you have used in reference to us, I am, as I have said, wholly unable to make an adequate reply; but they have sunk deeply into our hearts, and will never be forgotten. I have never felt my incapacity as a speech-maker so thoroughly as I do now. I would fain give suitable expression to what I feel and what I know my wife feels at this moment. I can only say to this most brilliant assemblage, to the distinguished statesman who presides over it, and to every one who has taken part in organis- ing this magnificent entertainment, we offer our truest, our most sincere, and our most grateful thanks; and we trust that on our return from America we shall find that we have done nothing to forfeit your esteem or to lessen your affec- tionate goodwill." When the applause which followed this manly and well delivered speech (Mr. Kendal had no AMEBICA 247 occasion to apologise for his oratory) had died away, Mr. Chamberlain again rose and said : — " I have now to complete these proceedings with the performance of a most pleasant duty. It is to ask Mrs. Kendal that she will be pleased to accept this jewel as a slight token of the regard of her friends. It is a testimony of our gratitude to her for the many pleasant hours we have spent in listening to her. It is a recog- nition of the brilHant creations of her genius which will always be inseparably connected with her name. In times not so very far removed from us the profession of the actor had fallen into temporary disrepute, and we read how the most gifted French actress of her time, although feted and adulated in her public career, was yet the subject of social exclusion during her Ufe- time, and at her death was denied by churhsh priests the rites of the Church to which she belonged. And, if now, evidences of such bigotry and intolerance have almost disappeared from amongst us it is largely owing— chiefly owing — to those who, Hke Mrs. Kendal, have shown how to combine the virtues of the woman with the talents of the actress, and who have ennobled the profession to which they belonged 248 THE KENDALS by the personal dignity and by the weight of character which they exhibited. Therefore it is to the woman, as well as to the actress, that we pay our homage. We ask you, Mrs. Kendal, to accept and to wear this slight memento of our esteem ; and we couple it with a most earnest and sincere wish of many years of honoured life and continued happiness." Mr. Chamberlain then handed to Mrs. Kendal a beautiful diamond star, four inches in diameter, formed of very pure and brilliant stones, mounted in a blue velvet case with the inscription : — " Presented to Mrs. Kendal by her friends : July 16, 1889." How Mrs. Kendal was received when she rose to tender her thanks may easily be imagined. For a moment the heartiness and manifest affection of her friends seemed almost to over- whelm her, but she soon took courage, and, in the voice many of us have learned to love so well, said : — " In what words can I convey to you the expression of my gratitude ? I thank you all, again and again, not only for your beautiful gift, but also for the flattering words that have accompanied it. The intrinsic value of your present, great as it is, is of less account in my AMERICA 249 eyes than the kindly feelings that have prompted its offering, and not the least gratifying feature in connection with it is the knowledge that much time and thought have been devoted to it by my friends and confrtres who have little of either to spare. I may have my own opinion, as others may have theirs, as to whether I merit all that has been said of me in this room to- night ; but one thing I may say, that however much our past efforts may fall short of the praise accorded them, all my future shall be devoted to my endeavour to deserve them. " My husband, and the members of our com- pany, and my poor self, are about to appear before new and critical audiences. In the face of such an ordeal to come, it is a great and valuable encouragement to know that we are bearing with us the good wishes of those who, although we are privileged to call our friends, are not the less impartial judges. It is to me a happy omen that among those who are here to wish us God-speed is Mrs. Chamberlain, who comes from one of the most cultivated and intellectual cities in the Qnited States. When I recall the welcome extended on the other side to my brothers and sisters in art, and the appre- ciation shown on this side of the visits of our 250 THE KENDALS American colleagues, I am emboldened to feel very sanguine as to our venture. Though in America the canons of artistic taste are exalted and exacting, there is always a kindliness which will condone our shortcomings. " I know not whether Mrs. Chamberlain, who has done so much to draw the two countries together, will consent to view the exchange of artistic visits as international incidents. The two countries are united not only by blood and kinship, but by artistic sympathy and interests, in those domestic bonds of which we have a happy instance here to-night. I fear I have spoken too long, but the circumstances must plead my excuse. With such surroundings, such cordial encouragements, such dear old friends in public and private life, a woman may well be forgiven for departing from the silent habit of her sex. Let me again thank you and assure you of my gratitude for this lovely gift, which I shall treasure and wear with pleasure and with pride — " ' So if your friendship keep us in your view, And if remembrance die not in your heart, There will be less of sorrow in adieu. And this farewell be healed of a smart. Seas may divide us then, yet sunder not — They are not absent who are not forgot.' " AMEBIC A 251 Mrs. Kendal's speech and her perfect dehvery of these lines not only delighted her listeners— it absolutely moved them. Nothing could have been better or more exactly suited to the oc- casion. Then followed excellent speeches by Sir Charles Kussell, Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. John Hare, and a memorable evening came to a close. In due course the Kendals crossed the Atlantic, and their English friends waited anxiously for news of their first appearance and reception in America. They had not long to wait. It came quickly, and in the best possible form. Success ! Supreme and unmitigated success ! That was the message that the cable brought us, and when we received the fuller reports of new^spaper and letter, it was evident that the Kendals had at once jumped into the hearts of the American people. They may have been famiUar with most of the pieces in which they appeared, but the charm of their acting made them new to them. The refinement and delicacy of their art ap- pealed to them; they understood and appre- ciated the lightness of their humour and the tenderness of their pathos; they crowded the theatres in which they appeared, they sought their society and showered upon them compli- 252 THE KENDALS ments, congratulations, and marks of honour and regard. Mrs. Kendal at once became the reigning favourite both of men and women of all classes ; and with regard to Mr. Kendal, a matter oc- curred that gave infinite pleasure to his English friends and comrades. In London he had, in the Buckstone days, been known as a rising young actor at the Haymarket, and step by step, and almost imperceptibly, his art had ripened and matured; but, as we have seen in these pages, he had, through manly loyalty to his wife, often contented himself with compara- tively mediocre parts. This state of things had become accepted, and many of us had felt that it was never really seen how well he was play- ing, or how seldom he got his full measure of justice. It was a difficult position to alter, for Mr. Kendal is the last man in the world to blow his own trumpet, or to encourage others to do it for him. In America he was a new man, and both critics and the public at once hailed him as a perfect actor. " Why have we not heard more of him ? " was the question asked by every one, and no one was more gratified by this spon- taneous expression of opinion than Mrs. Kendal. Mr. Kendal took it, as he does all things, very AMERICA 253 calmly and modestly, maintaining his ground and constantly increasing his popularity. Of their first night in the new country I must let a famous American writer on things thea- trical speak, and he must do so in his own characteristic way. His head-lines, which run as follows, are reassuring : — NEW YOEK LED CAPTIVE. UNQUALIFIED SUCCESS OF ME. AND MRS. KENDAL. The ice bi-oken and the public is theirs — The audience particularly charmed by the personal magnetism of Mrs. Kendal — "A Scrap of Paper." But, as any one who reads the following will see, the artists must at first have had their moments of misgiving and cruel anxiety. Breaking the ice (says my authority) was the operation Mr. and Mrs. Kendal were called upon to perform on the occasion of their first appearance before an American audience. Some- thing of the autumnal chill that reigned in the clear moonlight outside seemed to have crept into the auditorium of the Fifth Avenue Theatre when the curtain arose on Sardou's familiar and most ingenious comedy of " A Scrap of Paper." The house was crow^ded to the doors, familiar '' first night " faces were seen on every side, and 254 THE KENDALS although fashion was less generally represented than it will be later in the week, art and litera- ture made an excellent showing. But in spite of the evident disposition to extend the heartiest of welcomes to the distin- guished strangers, the atmosphere of the place throughout the greater part of the first act was glacial, and fairly rivalled in reserve the famous Alpine chilliness said — by malicious enemies, no doubt — to be characteristic of the first night assemblages of the modern Athens. Gradually, however, this reserve gave way beneath the genial influence of Mr. Kendal, who received a warm reception the instant the audience espied the face and figure of the representative of Prosper Couramont, re-named in this thoroughly anglicised version, Colonel Blake. Those familiar with the peculiarities of a New York first night audience began to see that the spectators had taken kindly to the cheery personaHty and eminently natural style of the — to them — new English actor. Still, however, the ice refused to yield entirely ; it was evident that the audience was waiting for somebody. Unsophisticated spectators thought that they had espied that " somebody " when the young lady who assumed the character of AMERICA 255 Lady Ingram made her appearance, and Miss Violet Vanbragh was favoured with a "recep- tion " which at the beginning was intended by a small contingent for the famous " somebody " the first nighters, " extra dry " and frappe on ice, so to speak, were evidently waiting to welcome. Sardou's hrst act, which expounds the motive of his play, draws near its close ; the approaching arrival of a CERTAIN MISS SUSAN HARTLEY has been mentioned about the middle of the act, and still no Susan, black-eyed or otherwise. Mr. Kendal, cleverly aided by Miss Violet Van- brugh, and by Henry Irving' s former assistant, Mr. Wenman, is doing his best to lay the ghost of New York's idol and canonised saint, the late John Lester Wallack, when there is a voice from the back of the stage, a famiHar voice to many, but now strangely faint and tremulous through- out its silvery tones, and the " somebody " steps for the first time before an American audience. The traditional " thunders of applause " await no further signal than the entrance of Madge Kobertson Kendal, who, all alive with intense nervousness, bows, and finally kisses her hands to a welcome truly royal. 256 THE KENDALS Have you ever seen the frost on the ground melt under the rays of the sun? The com- parison is the only one that can convey an idea of how the morgue of one of the coldest first night audiences on record yielded to the charm invariably exerted throughout her career by this fortunate actress. For a few instants, to be sure, this generous "reception" finally at an end, the assemblage gave itself time enough to make up its mind and exercise the inde- pendent judgment characteristic of Americans in every relation of life. But the celerity with which our country people do things is as pro- nounced as their refusal to have their minds made up for them by the verdict of ' ' effete monarchies," and this particular audience lost not a moment in deciding that they liked Mrs. Kendal enormously and that Mr. Kendal was alike "the man for their money" — and their applause. To not a few people present it seemed a curious thing to behold Mrs. Kendal, even for a moment, the object of inspection and critical estimate by a whole body of playgoers. Those who had followed her throughout any of the phases of her rich artistic career experienced a singular sensation in separating the reigning AMEBIC A 257 favourite of the English stage from the cUhutante in a new country. Was she nervous? Was Ellen Terry nervous as she came into view as the queen of Charles I. in the mimic grounds of Hampton Court at the Star Theatre ? Was Helena Modjeska troubled when she staked her artistic future on a first appearance in London ? The voice in which Mrs. Kendal spoke Susan Hartley's first words to the effect, " Well, here I am at last ! " sounded faint and far away, and doubtless seemed in her own ears like the voice of another person ; but the LONG-CONTINUED RECEPTION that broke out on her appearance, and re- fused for some moments to die away, must have convinced her that she was in the house of her friends, and once the plunge into this cold bath of footlights and audience w^as over, the consummate actress asserted herself. The nervous tension apparent on her entrance was, moreover, an advantage, for seldom, never perhaps, has Mrs. Kendal played better. " This audience is going to have a treat " was the verdict of those familiar with the methods of the actress as the curtain fell on the first act. Already the ice had melted, 18 258 THE KENDALS not a trace remained of it, and when Susan Hartley opposed her woman's wit to man's cunning as she took Colonel Blake's arm to go into luncheon, a couple of warm recalls said "We like you ! " Thus far the audience had seen a charming w^oman, admirably well dressed, a sympathetic and essentially natural actress, who struck at once the keynote of the personage — an English spinster. Miss Susan Hartley, mistress of arts, replaces in this version the woman of the world of Sardou. The distinction is delicate, but the opportunity is there, and Mrs. Kendal has yet to miss an artistic opportunity. With the second act comes, however, the chance for a veritable tour de force. The present writer,* to whom Mrs. Kendal's acting in this particular part was a novelty, has seen " Les Pattes de Mouche " played in the original French, not only by a troupe headed by an excellent actress, Madame Juliette Clarence, but at the Comedie Fran9aise itself by Madame Blanche Pierson, with Coquelin as Prosper, and in English at Wallack's Theatre by Lester Wallack and Miss Rose Coghlan ; but the second act had not gone far before it was evident that one ^- Writing under the nom de plume of " Walsingham." AMERICA 259 who had not witnessed Mrs. Kendal's Suzanna — or Susan — had never seen Sardou's comedy either in the original or the adaptation. For the acting of such clever women as Kose Coghlan and Blanche Pierson is mere child's play, art in its swaddHng clothes, compared to the achievement of the gifted comedieiine who was Madge Kobertson, and on this occa- sion every resource of her temperament and training sprang into play. The act is to some extent a monologue, since Susan Hartley never leaves the stage from the moment she enters until the curtain falls. The part is therefore peculiarly difficult ; it demands an infinite variety, or else it would be tedious. Mrs. Kendal is fully equal to the occasion. She embellishes the hunt after the " scrap of paper" with the most brilliant variations of pose, voice, facial expression, and gesture. The use of her hands, for example, is simply eloquent. Her execution of the hysterical speech, punctuated with the nervous query "Don't you see?" would alone stamp her as a great actress^ and so natural is she at all times that she never seems to be "making points " after the crude fashion of inferior actresses. Considered as a whole, her per- 260 THE KENDALS formance of this marvellous second act, which seems easy enough, but is so difficult, is the most briUiant piece of comedy acting contem- poraneous New Yorkers, Londoners, Parisians, have witnessed, and the wonder of it is it grows in the memory, and, after it is over, the variations which this accomplished artiste has executed linger, without ever departing from reality, in the memory like the silvery embellishments of a great singer. When the curtain fell on the second act three enthu- siastic recalls, in which cheers were mingled with plaudits, testified to the dehght of the audience; for New York "first-nighters" are experts, and know an artist when they see one. While Mrs. Kendal was echpsing all pre- decessors, Mr. Kendal was wrestling with a memory dear to New Yorkers, that of Lester Wallack, as a cynical and Ouidaesque Prosper Couramont. Lester Wallack was unquestion- ably an admirable actor of the romantic school, but why "always partridge"? Why not fare- well partridge, welcome grouse? Mr. Kendal's Colonel Blake is not Lester Wallack's Prosper Couramont but — profound distinction — it is Mr. Kendal's Colonel Blake, and " We hke you!" is the verdict of the chilliest of "first- AMEBICA 261 nighters" of the season. There is an ease, a naturalness, a personal magnetism in Mr. Kendal's work that render him a welcome figure. There is nothing grand, gloomy, or pecuhar about his hero of "A Scrap of Paper"; he does not suggest a blighted being, but he makes him a sympathetic, prepossessing, sus- ceptible man of the world, and never forces the note that separates the natural from the artificial. The treatment of the play, from its adaptation to English life to the details with which it is embelhshed, is eminently representative of the modern school of London acting so closely alhed to the French in some respects, so dif- ferent from it in others. The third act "went" ^vith great spirit, and when the final curtain fell, to be raised repeatedly, an unusual com- pliment in New York, the verdict of the house, so cold at first, TRANSFORMED THE ATMOSPHERE into couleur cle rose. There is an American custom always honoured in the observance on an occasion like this— it is that of demanding a speech. Mrs. Kendal could doubtless have made a graceful one, but her lord spoke for 262 THE KENDALS her, and with much sincerity — and brevity — clasping his wife's right hand so gracefully within his own that they made the prettiest of pictures as they stood thus, the lady in the "smartest" of dinner-gowns — black moire embel- lished with lace and crisp ribbons, and setting off by contrast the neck and arms and the numerous corsage ornaments among which blazed (no doubt the Enghsh "send-off" gift) a huge diamond sun. It was the general verdict that she never looked in more radiant health, so graceful or so equipped to conquer, not only as an artist but as a woman ; and it is very much to be doubted if Madge Eobertson in her teens ever acted with the wealth of resource displayed by Mrs. Kendal, who comes to us in the holiday time of her powers. Such is the veracious chronicle of the Ken- dais' famous first night in America. In a few days the satisfactory head-lines were out again, and to this effect — AN ENTIEELY NEW HEEOINE. MBS. Kendal's bendering of the chaeacteb of claire. HER ASSUMPTION OF THE LEADING BOLE IN " THE lEONMASTEB," COMFABED WITH THAT OF JANE HADING AND OTHERS. A PAST MISTBESS OF TEARS. AMEBIC A 263 Without going into the details of this success it must be noted that New York (where both Madame Jane Hading — the original Claire de Beaupre — and Madame Sarah Bernhardt had been seen in " Le Maitre de Forges") considered that Pinero had improved on Ohnet, and the Kendals had echpsed their predecessors, whether French or Enghsh. " Le Maitre de Forges," said a critic, " was a skeleton made by machinery ; Pinero put flesh on the skeleton's bones and covered up the wires that held it together. This done, Mr. and Mrs. Kendal crowned it with laurel and roses. Mr. Kendal is a better actor than poor Damala; and charming as is the performance of Jane Hading, beauti- ful as is that Madonna face, well as she poses, Mrs. Kendal is an exponent of dramatic art un- questionably her superior." As for Madame Sarah Bernhardt's delineation of Claire he declared that her " individuahty ' swore at ' the personage," and he summed up with the words, " 'The Ironmaster' is, in short, from the acting of Mr. and Mrs. Kendal and the adaptation by Pinero, down to the excellent performance of the minor parts, and the atmosphere of polite society, preserved in every detail of the repre- sentation, characteristic of a hrst-class London production." 264 THE EENDALS It is not necessary to follow the Kendals through their first American tour, which, socially as well as professionally, was aptly summed up at the time as a prolonged triumphal march. They became the hero and heroine of the day, and of course the lady was the recipient of many verses from unknown but warm-hearted and enthusiastic rhymesters. Let me quote the following — TO THALIA. A THANKSGIVING FOK MES. KENDAL's ADVENT. gentle Goddess, turn thy ear To hear our grateful song ; Leave cool Parnassus, and draw near Where mortals press and throng ; With all thy gentle art inspired To modern Athens' bower, Thou'st sent just what we most desired — The choicest, sweetest flower. To beauty thou hast added sense ; To sense a grace so rare That naught can be thy recompense For one so good so fair. This " Scrap of Paper" doth attest. My " Lnpulse " is to try To see " The Weaker Sex " at best In Mrs. Kendal's eye. AMERICA The good " Queen's Shilling" to attend I'd stoop to one " White Lie " ; An "Ironmaster's " will would bond When Mrs. Kendal's nigh. But ah ! Thalia, hoar me now, As these poor lines I pen, At Mrs. Kendal's shrine I bow, A Goddess among men. Accompanied by this quaint effusion came a droll note in which the bard said, " No dis- paragement to Mr. Kendal that he is left out ; I leave his praises, and they are loud, to the other sex." And to this, much to Mrs. Kendal's amusement, he added, "Perhaps it is due to propriety to add that I am a married man, the father of a family of small children, and per- fectly harmless." It was on her return to New York, after this her first tour, that Mrs. Kendal said to a friend — "A thing that has deeply impressed me has been the distinct characteristics prevaihng in each city. Boston is not in any way like to New York, nor Philadelphia to Chicago. I could no more confound any one of them with another than I could mistake a Philadelphian for a New Yorker. They are themselves, and 266 THE KENDALS themselves alone. No city has any idea of the powers and capabilities of its neighbours ; because of the distance between them it seems impossible that they should have. What does New York know of Philadelphia's magnificent charities and institutions, or what knows Boston of Baltimore's places of help ? Your cities are so scattered, and your distances so great — so enormously great — that such knowledge is impossible. Each has its marks of indi- viduality, just as all are possessed with the common virtue or grace — I know not which to term it — of hospitality. We had read of American hospitality, we had heard of it, but now we have seen, enjoyed, and experienced it, and I can easily say there is nothing like it the world over. " Such cordiality and kindness I have never before encountered. And I have been able only in a slight degree to accept of this hospitality for various reasons. My work, unfortunately, requires so much of my time ; rehearsals are constantly necessary, for we are always flying from one city to another, and in each place we have to begin work afresh. And then the very limited length of our stay in the different cities has helped to prevent me knowing more inti- AMEBIC A 267 niately the charming people I have had the good fortune to meet. But to know that this journey, which has meant to me nine months' separation from my children, my home, and all my oldest friends, constant traveUing, the facing of new audiences nightly, and of new cities almost weekly, that this journey has brought me many new warm friends, and has given, perhaps, much pleasure to those friends, is most satisfactory." And so, " bringing their sheaves with them," the Kendals returned to London, and on the afternoon of June 26, 1890, were entertained at a " Home Welcome," which the members of the " send of " dinner committee had organised at the Hotel Metropole. It was a very informal, but a very pleasant affair. In gracefully chosen words Miss Genevieve Ward bade them, on behalf of all present, " Welcome," and Mr. Kendal in responding laid special stress on the right royal way in which they had been socially received and entertained in America, and of the many delightful people they had met there, and could now claim as friends. At home the Kendals talked enthusiastically of their trans-Atlantic reception, and their pretty drawing-room in Harley Street was full of the beautiful souvenirs that had been given them, 268 THE KENDALS from handsome pieces of silver to a little model of a Philadelphian Quakeress in the primitive dress of her faith (a quaint costume rarely seen in England now), the gift of some simple "friend" who wished to do honour to the English visitors. "How did I like America?" said Mrs. Kendal in my hearing, and replying to an often repeated question. "Well, I hardly know how to describe it, and yet seem to be quite just to England. I should not like it to be thought that we did not appreciate the cordiality of English audiences, but, you know, they've coined a verb ' to enthuse,' and they act up to it. We expected, from what we had heard, to find the Americans wanted their acting broad, but we found their perceptions quick as thought. Jefferson told us when he was over here that you could take an American audience with a turn of the eye, and you can. They can appreciate finesse in acting as well as any play- goers." " Yes," echoed Mr. Kendal, " we went across, not knowing how we should be received, advertised ourselves just as we do here, and we found ourselves welcomed every- where. We found the American people more AMERICA 269 hospitable and friendly than ever we could have expected." Indeed they could find no words in which to convey a full account of the pleasure their visit had given them, and the gratitude with which it had inspired them. Delighted as their English friends were with the "running-over" measure of their success, they were somewhat regretful to know that they were almost immediately to start on a second tour. But x\merican hay was waiting to be made — in America the sun was shining — and they very wisely set out to gather in their harvest. The welcome they received was as warm as ever, and amongst other productions Pinero's " The Squire " met with abundant favour. And so the scent of the Old World hay was wafted over the ocean and across the footlights of the New World ! On the first night of " The Squire " they were applauded, recalled, and applauded again, and every possible means was taken by an enthusiastic audience to make them understand that they were favourites. In speaking of this satisfactory evening a critic said, " An American audience never tires of seeing Mr. and Mrs. Kendal make 270 THE KENDALS love. They appear to be giving lessons not in the art but in the experience." After this tour it was hoped that they would once more settle down in England, but they were still wanted on " the other side," and very soon the follo^ving announcement appeared : — ME. AND MES. KENDAL. Under the direction of Mr. Daniel Frohman. Third and Last American Tour, 1891-92. Oct. Nov Nov Nov Dec, Dec, Dec. 14, Dec. 28, Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Jan. 26, Jan. 27, Jan. 28, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb. 18, Feb. 19, Feb. 20, Feb. 22, Feb. 25, New York . . Washington, D.C Philadelphia Pa. Boston, Mass. Buffalo, N.Y. . Cleveland, 0. . Chicago, lU. Milwaukee, Wis. St. Louis, Mo. . Pittsburg, Pa. . Brooklyn, N.Y. Orange, N.J. . Trenton, N.J. . Wilmington, Del. Richmond, Va. Baltimore, Md. Cincinnati, 0. . Louisville, Ky. EvansviUe, Ind. Terre Haute, Ind Lafayette, Lid. Indianopolis, Ind Dayton, 0. . . EOUTE. 3 weeks. Star Theatre. 1 week. National Theatre. 2 weeks, Broad Street Theatre. 2 weeks, HoUis Street Theatre. 3 nights, Academy of Music. 3 nights, Euclid Opera House. 2 weeks, Hooley's Theatre. 1 week, Davidson Theatre. 1 week, OljTnpic Theatre. 1 week, Duquesne Theatre. 1 week. Park Theatre. 1 night. Music Hall. 1 night, Taylor Opera House. 1 night Grand Opera House. 3 nights. Academy of Music. 1 week, Lyceum Theatre. 1 week. Grand Opera House. 3 nights, Macauley's Theatre. 1 night. Opera House. 1 night. Opera House. 1 night. Opera House. 3 nights. Grand Opera House. 1 night, Grand Opera House. AMERICA 271 Feb. 26, Columbus, 0. ... 1 night. Opera House. Feb. 27, Toledo, 1 night, Wheeler Opera House. Feb. 29, Detroit, Mich. . . 3 nights, Lyceum Theatre. Mar. 3, Toronto, Ont. ... 3 nights, Grand Opera House. Mar. 7, New York .... 2 weeks, Palmer's Theatre. Mar. 21, Washuigton, D.C. . 1 week, National Theatre. Mar. 28, Boston, Mass, . . 1 week, HoUis Street Theatre. April 4, Philadelphia, Pa.. . 1 week, Broad Street Theatre. April 11, Bridgeport, Conn. . 1 night, Bridgeport Theatre. April 12, Waterbury, Conn. . 1 night, Jacques Opera House. April 13, Hartford, Conn. . . 1 night, Proctor's Opera House. April 14, Springfield, Conn. . 1 night, Gilmore's Opera House. April 15, Worcester, Conn. . 1 night, Worcester Theatre. April 16, New Haven, Conn. . 1 night, Hyperion Theatre. April 18, Brooklyn, N.Y. . . 1 week. April 25, New York .... 1 week. May 2, Williamsburgh, N.Y. 1 week, Amphion Theatre. A glance at their route will show how far their tours now extended, and how much work, both in travelling and acting, they gave them- selves to do. It was during one of these tours that poor Mrs. Kendal underwent an awful experience. They were playing in Philadelphia ; the house was crowded ; she was ready dressed for her part, and the curtain was about to go up, when she asked her maid to give her a glass of a tonic she was taking. Hastily she put it to her lips, and then, to her horror, realised that the wrong phial had been used, and that she had swallowed poison ! Quickly, and with charac- teristic presence of mind, she took the remedies that occurred to her, sent for a doctor, and in 272 THE KENDALS the hope that she had not taken enough to prove fatal, determined to go on with her part. And so, in intense agony, and with a mouth that seemed full of flame, she went on the stage. At every available interval the physician did his best to avert mischief and alleviate her suffering, but no one in that cheering and dehghted audience knew what the poor, brave creature who was amusing them was undergoing. For three weeks Mrs. Kendal spent her days in bed and her evenings on the stage, and her doctors declared that if she had swallowed a few more drops of the liquid her hfe would not have been worth an hour's purchase. It will be seen that this third tour of 1891-92 was announced as their "last," but in 1893 an irresistible temptation came in their way. Mr. Pinero's brilliant but daring play, " The Second Mrs. Tanqueray," had been produced at the St. James's ; it was drawing all London, and was the talk of the day. Why should not the Kendals, who were so closely identified with the Pinero plays, be the first to produce it in America? The author was anxious that it should be so ; Mr. Daniel Frohman was quite willing to book a tour — it only wanted their consent. No doubt, much as they wanted to AMERICA 273 be ill their own home again, tiie temptation was a very strong, nay, an irresistible one. The stage history of " The Second Mrs. Tanqneray" is fairly well known. It had been intended for the Garrick Theatre, but, while admiring the intense cleverness of the work, Mr. Hare had declined the responsibility of producing a play dealing with such a formidable theme. It was then passed on to the St. James's, where Mr. Alexander, after expressing his own doubts, promised to "try it" at a few special matinees. Chance, however, favoured the play ; it was boldly brought out in the evening bill, and created a furore that was absolutely startling. Whether this phenomenal success would have been made without the peculiarly fascinating performance of Mrs. Patrick Campbell is a moot point. She not only idealised the character of the depraved Paula, she absolutely ethereahsed it. Whether the impersonation was true to nature or not was hardly asked. It was a thing by itself— a new sensation — it had to be seen. I think that (as seen at the St. James's) Mr. Punch perfectly sunmied her up when he doubtfully though admiringly said, " What was she ? What was her bringing up ? What ought by right to have been her position in life ? Was 19 274 THE KENDALS she a waif and stray trom the commencement ? One allusion to her early youth gives her pause — so natural a pause, too ! the perfection of art ! — for a moment and then, with a shrug of the shoulders, she dismisses the recollection. She has learnt the piano, that is evident ; she has a refined taste, oddly enough, in music; she is loving, she is vulgar ; she can purr, she can spit ; she is gentle, she is violent ; she has good impulses, and she is a fiend incarnate ; she is affectionate, she is maHcious ; generous and trusting, selfish and suspicious; she is all heart and no soul ; she is a Peri at the Gates of Paradise ; she is a hete fauve that should be under lock and key." Yes, it was that "What was she?" What was this complex Paula Tanqueray as portrayed by Mrs. Campbell ? It was the endeavour to solve this problem that sent thousands to the St. James's during the first run of "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray." In truth it was a problem play in more senses than one. The glamour that Mrs. Campbell cast upon it half blinded many to the really grim story that was unfolded, and subsequently many playwrights who tried to follow Mr. Pinero's bold lead had to acknowledge the truth of the PJioto bij-\ IB'indoyi.^'h'QV^- ME. AND MES. KEXDAL IN " DIPLOJIACY." AMERICA 276 assertion that he had succeeded " not because of his subject, but in spite of it." For a time, however, the hapless lady " with a past " became the heroine of fiction both on the stage and in the novel. It was not a satis- factor}^ state of things, for, poor thing, her story must, under any circumstances, be a very sad one. Her existence is not to be ignored, but I cannot think that many people want to see her in a play. Women always want to avoid her, and men regard her from different points of view. In the eyes of those who, without saying much about it, have Christianity embedded in their hearts, she must ever be an object of intense pity ; to those who shout their religion from the housetops she is, so they declare, an offence ; some do not in the least degree under- stand her; and to many she must convey a sense of unspeakable shame. Does the reader remember those lines that, as Stephanie de Mohrivart, in Messrs. Herman Merivale and F. C. Grove's fine play " Forget- me-Not," Miss Genevieve Ward used to hurl at Sir Horace Welby — " Why may a man live two lives, while a woman must stand or fall by one? What was the difference between us two, Sir Horace Welby, in those bygone years that should 276 THE KENDALS make me now a leper and you a saint ? that should give you the right to say to me, ' You are Vice and I am Virtue ' ? There would be no place in creation for such women as I if it were not for such men as you ! " How true this is, and how shameful it is ! When Mr. Pinero wrote " The Profligate," and in his usual vivid, yet deftly-blended colours, showed the "man with a past," he gave his play a tragic ending, and against it his audiences clamoured. " No ! No ! " they said, " we know that Dunstan Eenshaw has been a seducer and a hypocrite, but he must be forgiven and at curtain-fall live happy ever after " ; and, bowing to the popular opinion, he altered the finale of his play. Did any one ask that the poor erring, and sometime cruelly treated Paula Tanqueray should have a "happy ending"? No! no! The moral British thumb was as inflexibly turned down as if it had been employed in a Eoman amphitheatre when a gladiator was butchered to make a holiday. According to the British judgment it was quite right that Eenshaw should be taken back to the heart of the pure young wife he had deceived ; and that Paula should realise the advisability of putting an end to her existence with a dose of poison. AMERICA 277 Doubtless in the days when wrong is made right, this hideouslj^ unfair state of things will receive attention. Well, Mrs. Kendal either made up her mind to, or was persuaded to play "Paula Tanqueray " in America, and it was determined that the piece should be performed during the brief pro- vincial tour that was to precede the embarkation of the company at Liverpool. Accordingly, on August 31, 1893, a few of the faithful journeyed to Leicester to see the new Mrs. Tanqueray. Some of the leading critics were there — and Mr. Pinero was there watching the performance with intense interest, from the rise to the fall of the curtain. It was a difficult audience to play to, for the good people of Leicester had apparently heard little of the play that had thrilled London, and evidently were in the humour to enjoy a comedy of the "Scrap of Paper" school. Accordingly they hailed Mr. Pinero's witty hues with a boisterous mirth that must have been most disconcerting to the actors, and was not a little irritating to those who were anxious to lose no point of the play in the hands of its new interpreters. By and by, however, the Kendals, backed by the power of the story, held the 278 THE KENDALS house, and meaningless giggles were succeeded by that attentive silence that grand old Better- ton used to declare was the truest form of applause. From the very first Mrs. Kendal let us see that her interpretation of Paula was to be her own. She had no intention of drawing an idyUic portrait of the woman who, for purely selfish reasons, wanted to marry the infatuated Aubrey Tanqueray. She could, and she did, show us the good points in the poor creature's character, but in displaying its seamy side she spared neither herself nor her audience. It was an unswerving study from the life ; it made the boldest and the best points in Mr. Pinero's work stand out in strong relief (as I watched his attentive face I fancied that he for the first time reaHsed how great a thing he had written) ; to the thoughtful it w^as a wondrous piece of work ; but it did not round off the corners of what is, after all, a tragedy. As the play continued its course the interest of the portrait deepened and increased, and the mocking bravado of the earlier scenes gave way to an ineffable tenderness that at last held the hearts of those who had been forced by the actress to dislike this wayward daughter of Eve. AMEBIC A 279 Mr. William Archer, who had travelled from London to be present on the occasion, said after- wards : " What of Mrs. Kendal's reading of the part of Paula ? It is the work of an accomphshed comedian, who has at her command all the resources of her art. Comparisons are odious ; and I do not propose to compare Mrs. Kendal with Mrs. Patrick Campbell except on one point. She certainly puts a greater depth of feehng into the later acts, and on the whole (I should say) she does rightly." As Aubrey Tanqueray, Mr. Kendal was admir- able, and at a happy Httle supper party at the old Bell Hotel that succeeded the performance the pair were cordially congratulated on having secured a trump card for play in America. "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray" did turn out a trump card, but not quite in the way that was expected, or was perfectly satisfactory. The play drew crowded houses — the excellence of its rendering was freely acknowledged — but, whereas it had drawn all London, and had hardly called a blush to the cheek of Mr. Podsnap's " young person," it scandalised America, and her critics were not slow to say so. It is curious to note that hve years ago our go-ahead cousins across the xltlantic were not quite so " advanced" as 280 THE KENDALS we " old folk at home." Nowadays, I fancy, we have both "advanced" a little more, and our susceptibilities are more evenly balanced. In order to describe what happened I will quote one of the most temperate of their critics. " Mr. and Mrs. Kendal," he says, " were wel- comed back to America by a great audience at the Star Theatre. Leading professionals and the best society people packed the stalls and adorned the boxes ; the dress circle was a bevy of American beauties ; and the upper part of the house was as crowded as the orchestra. Mrs. Kendal was repeatedly applauded and called before the curtain for her wonderful acting, which ranged from high comedy to domestic tragedy, and Mr. Kendal for the artistic skill with which he managed to retain the dignity of an English gentleman in the most risky situa- tions. At the close of the play, although the hour was near midnight, the whole audience remained to give Mrs. Kendal a special greeting and to listen to Mr. Kendal's graceful and grate- ful speech, with its pretty compliment to Man- ager Frohman. Everything that he said found a prompt and generous response until he began to speak of ' The Second Mrs. Tanqueray ' as a great original drama which had caused a sensa- AMERICA 281 tion in London and which conveyed a moral lesson. Then the silence of the audience was ominous. They had applauded the acting ; but they refused to applaud the play. They were delighted to see Mr. and Mrs. Kendal again; but they were surprised and shocked at being presented to such a person as ' The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.' " If this much-advertised play were as original, as artistic, as great as the advance notices have painted it, we should still hold that it is not fit to be represented in an American theatre. Art is wide, but it has its limitations. There are marvellous literary works which have to be kept under lock and key. There are pictures so exquisite that experts are astounded at the skill which created them, and yet they are carefully concealed in private cabinets. There are sculp- tures so finely chiselled that no mortal hand seems equal to the achievement, and yet they are shown only to a few connoisseurs. The subject of a work of art is even more important than the execution of it when it is intended for public exhibition, and some subjects are not to be discussed before ladies. How a courtesan would look and act if married to a respectable gentle- man is not a subject to be represented upon the 282 THE KENDAL S stage. If any philosopher be really curious about it, he can find full information in police reports. "But Mr. Pinero's work has not even the merit of the books, the pictures, the sculptures, to which we have referred. It is not true that ' the future is the past over again,' as he says in one of his imitation epigrams. It is not true that a bad woman cannot be as thoroughly reformed as a bad man. It is not true that all men have ' a past ' in the sense of a criminal past. It is not true that when a young girl falls in love with a young man she is likely to dis- cover that he has ' kept house ' with her mother or her stepmother. It is not true that Second Mr. Tanquerays or Second Mrs. Tanquerays are trying to force their way into society. The whole play is stagey in material and construction and as artificial as the footlights, which it is unworthy to face." Such was America's opinion on London's new sensation, and it will be noted that, in his vehe- mence, the writer entirely overlooks and incon- tinently condemns the undeniable cleverness — one may say greatness — of Mr. Pinero's work. The reason for his indignation is not far to seek, " Mrs. Kendal," he goes on to say, " has AMERICA 283 won and holds her position as the most popular actress on the EngHsh-speaking stage because she has always been not only a good actress, but a good woman. We remember her when she was Madge Eobertson — a girl like the Ellean of this play. She is loved and respected by every- body, from the Queen to the shop-girl, because she has been as good off the stage as on the stage, an honour as well as an ornament to her profession. Why should she pain her admirers, and risk her popularity, after all these good years, by devoting her talents to the exemplifica- tion of how an abandoned woman would behave under certain distasteful circumstances ? " There lay the trouble in a nutshell. Mrs. Kendal's faithful American adherents did not like to associate her with poor Paula, and no doubt it was chiefly for the sake of the actress they had learned to love that the critics con- demned the play. They were all very much of one mind concerning it, though some of them were more outspoken than others. One of them, for example, said : " Amid a careful and detailed environment of modern stage settings, and with a perfection of modern stage art, the Kendals last evening at the Star Theatre, in the presence of a deeply interested audience, which filled the 284 THE KENDALS house to its capacity, presented to a New York public Mr. A. W. Pinero's ' The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.' It is a question as to the point from which to judge the play and its presenta- tion. From the moral standpoint, from the views sacred to the fathers and mothers of the Eepublic, the play, its motive, its movement, its delineation, and its lesson should be irresistibly and irretrievably — to use a stage expression — damned." Another said : " There is little doubt the play will be as great a success here as it was in London. But we would prefer to see some other actress in it than Mrs. Kendal. She cannot spoil her splendid reputation by playing the part of the shameless woman ; she cannot even rub off a bit of the lustre, for all the world agrees that she is a charming and talented actress. But we prefer her in something else. It is not well to harvest Dead Sea fruit." Yet, in spite of all that was said, the play, artistically as well as financially, w^as a great success, and though there were thousands who went to see it out of sheer curiosity, there were many who realised how marvellously Mrs. Kendal played the part of Paula, purposely making her outre, but never really vulgar, in the AMEBIC A 285 first act, and then showing how, under the influence of her husband and his daughter, she gradually refines until in the last act she actually becomes the noblest character on the stage. To those who took the trouble to study it, and who were capable of understanding it, it was a truly great performance. But the strictures on the play were very vexatious. Like the wise man that he is, Mr. Kendal takes all things philosophically ; but Mrs. Kendal was very sore about them, for although she was in no way responsible for the piece or its selection (the choosing of plays is in the hands of Mr. Kendal) the criticisms seemed in a way to reflect upon her own good taste. Besides, it was so surprising that a play which (despite its theme) had excited the admiration of England should be thought inexcusably offensive in America. Not unnaturally, Mrs. Kendal resented it, and it was while she was in this mood that she per- mitted herself to see " an interviewer." Now I have always maintained that Mrs. Kendal should never be " interviewed." She is a very impulsive talker. Her thoughts flash through her mind like lightning, and, always bright and far-seeing though they are, she often puts them into words 286 THE KENDALS without having considered what their meaning may convey to those who are unaccustomed to her manner. Among her friends, who under- stand her, her conversation is not only deUghtful, but fascinating ; but to the stranger journalist, eager for good " copy," and setting down every frankly spoken word, her style has been far too often misunderstood. Among many more, she is taken advantage of by the experienced and stony-hearted interviewer. No one can blame him for making the most of his material, but, though I am a journalist myself and know how welcome good " copy " is, I always feel it rather unfair that fancies rather than facts should be thus gathered — especially when the "subject" is an outspoken and unsuspecting lady. If on this occasion Mrs. Kendal did not talk too wisely, she certainly spoke very cleverly, and the interviewer did not resist his irresistible temptation. An article appeared which, though good-natured in intention, was written in such bantering style that it attracted universal atten- tion, and was so recopied and remodelled in other newspapers that at last its author could hardly recognise it. Never did rolling snowball more quickly increase its bulk. The great American grievance against " The AMERICA 287 Second Mrs. Tanqueray " was its alleged im- morality, and in this interview Mrs. Kendal whimsically, but of course wilfully, chose to imagine that, as compared with poor old blase England, America was so young and innocent that it did not know that such women as Paula had an existence. Taking this as her stand- point, she went on to defend the play, declaring, rightly enough, that to those who were compelled to admit that the laws which human beings have made for themselves, and which govern society, are occasionally broken, Mr. Pinero's work con- veyed a great moral lesson, showing that retributive justice at last overtakes and punishes sin, and that repentance, however sincere, will not help us to ward off that punishment. Again, she maintained that a lesson was conveyed in the example of the woe and wretchedness men bring upon so many innocent people when they sin against women. "If," she said, " your people cannot understand the moral lesson in all this I am afraid they cannot understand the Bible. I know it is a little book not much read, perhaps out of fashion, but it exists, and it teaches plain truths in plain words." Those who know and appreciate Mrs. Kendal will easily imagine how (having conceived this 288 THE KENDAL S half- humorous, half-satirical line of mock defence) admirably and vivaciously she would play her part, but to the interviewer she was a stranger — her words as well as her meaning were distorted — and by thousands she was once more cruelly misunderstood. The lesson of this is that it is a great mis- take for those who come before the public — as writers, actors, or what not — to reply to critics. If a lashing is administered it is best to bear it patiently and silently. To call public attention to it is only to advertise one's humilia- tion. I have heard many people declare that the sting of adverse criticism does not hurt them. I must not say that I do not believe them, but I am justified in thinking that they must be very strangely constituted. But if the Kendals' fourth American tour was not without its wholly unforeseen annoyances they were soon busy for a fifth with a repertory that included " The Second Mrs. Tanqueray " (still wanted by the public in spite of the criticisms), "Lady Clancarty," " Still Waters Eun Deep," '' A Scrap of Paper," " All For Her," and " The Ironmaster." Again let me call attention to the gigantic tour that was booked for them : — AMEBICA 289 ME. AND MES. KENDAL. Under the Direction of Mr. Daniel Frohman. Fifth American Tour, 1894-95. EOUTE. Mon., Sept. 17, Mon., Oct. 8, Mon., Oct. 15, Sat., Oct. 20, Sun., Oct. 21, Mon., Oct. 22, Sun., Nov. 11, Mon., Nov. 12, Tues., Nov. 13, Fri., Nov. 16, Tues., Nov. 19, Tues., Nov. 20, Wed., Nov. 21, Thurs.,Nov.22, Mon., Nov. 26, Wed., Nov. 28, Thurs.,Nov.29, Fri., Nov. 30, Sat., Dec. 1, Mon., Dec. 3, Thurs. Dec. 6, Mon., Dec. 10, Mon., Dec. 17, Thurs., Dec. 20, Fri., Dec. 21, Sat., Dec. 22, Mon., Dec. 24, Mon., Jan. 28, Mon., Feb. 11, Chicago, 111. . . St. Louis, Mo. . Denver, Col. Travel. Travel. San Francisco, Cal Travel. Travel. Portland, Ore. . Seattle, Wash. . Tacoma, Wash. . Travel. Travel. Salt Lake, Utah Omaha, Neb. St. Joseph, Mo. . , Des Moines, la. . Davenport, la. . Peoria, 111. . . Detroit, Mich. . Cleveland, O. . Pittsburg, Pa. . Toronto, Can. . , Piochester, N.Y. Syracuse, N.Y. . Utica, N.Y. New York, N.Y. Boston, Mass. . New Bedford, Mass. 20 3 weeks, Hooley's Theatre. 1 week, Olympic Theatre. 5 nights. Tabor Grand. weeks, Baldwin Theatre. 3 nights, Marquam Grand. 2 nights, Seattle Theatre. 1 night, Tacoma Theatre. nights, Salt Lake Theatre, nights, Boyd's New Theatre, night, The Tootle Theatre, night, Foster's Opera House, night, Biu-tis' Opera House, night. Grand Opera House, nights, Detroit Opera House, nights, Euclid Avenue Opera House, week, Alvin Theatre, nights. Grand Opera House, night, Lyceum Theatre, night, Weiting Opera House, night, Utica Opera House, weeks. Abbey's Theatre, weeks, Tremont Theatre. 1 night, Grand 0[)cra House 290 THE KENDALS 1 night, Newport Opera House. 1 night, Academy of Music. 1 night, Worcester Theatre. 1 night, Proctor's Opera House. 1 night, Hyperion Theatre. 1 week. Chestnut Street Opera House. 1 week, Lyceum Theatre. 1 week, New National Theatre. 1 week, Cohimbia Theatre. 1 week, Harlem Opera House. 3 nights, Providence Opera House. 1 night, Lawrence Opera House. 1 night, Opera House. 1 night, City Hall. 1 week, HoUis Street Theatre. Tues., Feb. 12, Newport, R. I. . Wed., Feb. 13, FaU River, Mass. Thurs., Feb. 14, Worcester, Mass. Fri., Feb. 15, Hartford, Con. . Sat., Feb. 16, New Haven, Con. Hon., Feb. 18, Philadelphia, Pa. Mon., Feb. 25, Baltimore, Md. . Mon., Mar. 4, Washington,D.C. Mon., Mar. 11, Brooklyn, N. Y. Mon., Mar. 18, Harlem, N. Y. . Mon., Mar. 25, Providence, R. I. Thurs., Mar. 28, Lawrence, Mass. Fri., Mar. 29, Lowell, Mass. . Sat., Mar. 30, Portland, Me. . Mon., April 1, Boston, Mass. . Mon., April 8, Tues., April 9, Wed., April 10, Thurs., April 11, Fri., April 12, Sat., April 13, Mon., April 15, New York, N.Y. Mon., April 29, Washington,D.C. Mon., May 6, Chicago, 111. Mon., May 20, Tues., May 21, Wed., May 22, Thurs., May 23, Fri., May 24, Sat., May 25, " Yes," many people will say, " it looks a great undertaking on paper, but no doubt they travelled in such luxury that they suffered as little from exertion as they would from incon- venience." But they had their discomforts. For example, 2 weeks. Abbey's Theatre. 1 week, National Theatre. 2 weeks, Hooley's Theatre, AMEBICA 291 in some remote town, though the theatre they were to play in was a fine one, the accommodation in the dressing-rooms was appalling. There was an utter absence of ventilation, and the furniture and lighting were disgraceful to the last degree. Mrs. Kendal's wash-hand stand was a tin bowl placed upon a shabby chair ! On objecting to this, and failing to obtain any improvement, she rose to the occasion and sent for the manager. Wearing his hat, and redolent of tobacco, that gentleman lounged into the room, and asked "What's the trouble?" Mrs. Kendal pointed to the tin bowl and spoke some plain truths as to the abominably dirty state of the room, winding up by declaring that she must at least have an earthenware basin, for she never had washed in a tin bowl and she never would. The placid pro- prietor of the theatre turned the quid of tobacco he was chewing, and remarked, " Waal, I guess your betters he v." Mrs. Kendal promptly sent for their own manager, and asked him what was the penalty for breaking the contract by not appearing. She was told it would mean so many hundred dollars. " Draw a cheque for it at once," she said, " and either get that man to take his hat off, or have it knocked off ; we shall not play here ! " Then, turning to her maid, 292 THE KENDALS " Pack everything up and tell the ladies and gentlemen there will be no performance." Now as every seat in the house was booked the pro- prietor at once " climbed down," and so did his best to improve matters that the storm passed over. The ultimate result of Mrs. Kendal's spirited behaviour was that the dressing accom- modation of the house was completely renovated, and on the next visit of the company they were made as comfortable as they could desire. It was an alteration for which all actors in the habit of fulfilhng engagements at the theatre in question were deeply thankful. The great feature of this tour was to be "Lady Clancarty," and, in order to give Americans a faithful picture of England in the days of Wilham III., it was dressed and mounted without any regard to expense, and with the most elaborate attention to detail. All the costumes were new and of the most costly materials, and their correctness was carried down to the embroidery (an item of accuracy not to be discerned by the audience) of " Honi soit qui mal y pense," on the King's garter. The furniture, too, was as soHd as if it had been made for Eoyal Palaces instead of for the three hours' traffic of the stage. The great screen in AMEEICA 293 the King's private apartment was as massive as its original, and the brocade covering it was as handsome as it was in reality. The cornices and chimneypieces had been modelled from original work, and the great carved bedstead was a copy of one at Hampton Court. As for Mrs. Kendal's costumes I must quote a lady who inspected them. " The cloak which she wears in the first act of ' Lady Clancarty,' " she says, "is of the most exquisite hand- embroidered silk in delicate shades ; the laces are all of the utmost elegance ; the brocades would stand alone. As for the filmy caps which Mrs. Kendal wears, they are sewn on her head every night for fear of wrinkles in the fit. No one has ever seen Mrs. Kendal ' come apart ' on the stage. You never find her clutching at a gaping placquet, or fumbling at a loosened collar ; her hats never slide or tilt or wobble. Every- thing is put on to stay firmly, until its turn comes to be taken off. She has a serene consciousness always in the reliability of her back breadths, and the infalhbility of her buttons and strings. She has cushions and cushions full of coloured pins. Green velvet bows are fastened with — I was going to say green velvet pins — but pins of the exact shade of the bows. 294 THE KENDALS And everything appears to have been made for its purpose. That exquisite resplendent brocade in the last act was made for that train, and anything more beautiful to examine you have never seen. The roses look as if they grew on the silk ; the leaves belong to the roses." Certainly America never saw a more perfectly staged historical play than the Kendals' impor- tation of "Lady Clancarty." Talking to me the other day a member of their company told me of a pretty and considerate custom of which I never heard my friends make mention. On the American Christmas Day the theatres are opened in the usual way, but, know- ing how dear that anniversary is to the English heart, the Kendals always invited the whole of their company to " after-curtain" supper at their hotel. Then it was that their fellow-actors found out why Mrs. Kendal had been so anxious to discover their favourite dishes. There all these dainties were, flanked by a noble spread, and, with the most genial host, and the most charming of hostesses, the old-world, time- honoured Christmas festivities were kept up until American clocks were chiming the fours and the fives of the morning. I must not forget that in America Mrs. AMEBICA 295 Kendal, with consummate success, re-read that much discussed Social Science paper on "The Drama," and this time without causing any disturbance in theatrical dovecots. In dealing with these tours I have inten- tionally said nothing concerning the intimate friends made by the Kendals, or the social functions that were held in their honour. Very rightly they do not make a parade of personal matters, and the numerous letters from celebrities expressing congratulation, admiration, and esteem which they received and cherish they hold sacred. CHAPTEE X ^^THE KENDAL S AT HOME" rpO all who know them intimately it must be -■- a pleasure to think of the Kendals in their own household. To me it is delightful to conjure up happy memories of 9, Taviton Street, Gordon Square, where they lived soon after they were married ; of 145, Harley Street ; and of their present handsome house, 12, Portland Place. As suited to their ever-increasing and well-won prosperity and their growing family, the houses have become larger, their surround- ings more valuable and complete, but in all their homes the same perfect taste, the same honest English comfort, and the same true hospitality has existed. What is true hospitality ? Well, I often think that the Kendals have given me the keynote to it. I know that when I stay with them I am made perfectly at home. If I have 298 THE KENDALS work to do, and am delayed by it, I never feel that I need worry about their carefully kept hours and regulations. They will go on as usual, and when I come in, whatever the hour may be, I am greeted with the same cheery smiles, the same bright welcome, the same assurance that I am to consider the house as my own, and to do and ask for what I like. Surely that is true hospitality ? They have all been beautiful as well as very interesting homes — beautiful because of the nice discernment with which everything from basement floor to top- most ceiling has been chosen ; and interesting, inasmuch as the Kendals have always carried their "household gods" with them, and have thus stamped them with the invaluable hall- mark of "association." Nothing to the warm- hearted can be more valuable than belongings that, beautiful themselves, bear with them " associations." The first thing that would strike a stranger is Mr. Kendal's valuable collection of pictures. Himself an admirable draughtsman and artist (in his rare leisure moments he loves nothing better than to have the pencil or the paint brush in his hand), he is a remarkable judge of the work of others, and many of the paintings "THE EENDALS AT HOME" 299 that he cherishes bear testimony to his keen discrimination. TraveUing from provincial town to provincial town, as he has done for many years, Mr. Kendal, by invariably visiting and closely inspecting the local art exhibitions, has been able, by his appreciation and knowledge of technique, to single out the early work of many budding geniuses, and it is most interesting to walk round his rooms and to note how, in his own quiet and practical way (for, to the young artists' dehght, he bought their pictures), he foretold the success of many of the most popular painters of to-day. An instance of his almost unerring judgment in this direction is before me as I write these lines. A good many years ago I was with him in a provincial art gallery that promised no ripe harvest, when he was suddenly arrested by a work "skied" in an obscure corner. It was a mere study of still life, and manifestly the handicraft of a beginner. I should have passed it by, but he, pointing to it, said, "There! — that's crude, but it's painted by some one who has the right stuff in him." He did not buy it, and a little later I, chiefly in remembrance of a pleasant day spent with a good friend and comrade, purchased it. I had almost forgotten 300 THE KENDAL S its existence, when only the other day an artist, seeing it in my house, said, " Do you know you've got a treasure there ? Why, it's a noble specimen of the early work (the picture is signed, but I had never observed it) of one of the most noted iVcademicians of to-day." But, although his walls bear many evidences of this cultured instinct, Mr. Kendal of course is not satisfied to own only the clever experi- ments of novices, and he is the appreciative possessor of many noble examples of the mature work of the most notable English and foreign artists. A thing that greatly strikes one in his unique collection is the deft manner in which they have been " hung," with a master-eye to colour and effect. No picture (as we so often see in less carefully arranged collections) is allowed to "clash" with another, and the wall- papers and decorations of his rooms are so well chosen as to bring everything into harmony. On interior decoration Mr. Kendal is indeed a recognised authority, and evidence of it has been seen in every play that he has staged. His bookcases, too, evince the same care, taste, and apt eye for colour ; and, when well carried out, there can be nothing more decorative or attractive than rows of handsomely bound books. ^^THE KENDALS AT HOME'' 301 Carefully preserved in choice morocco are original copies of all the plays— published and unpublished — in which he and his wife have appeared, and in company with these may be seen a remarkable collection of the first editions of Dickens and other great authors, as well as many invaluable works on theatrical lore. His librar}^ is a marvel of comfort and completeness, and it is none the less serviceable because it is luxurious. His letters and papers are always in order, and, ever facing him, is a formidable pile of the manuscript plays that are always being submitted to him, and which, to his infinite credit, he conscientiously reads. I may as w^ell say here that I know no better judge of an unacted play than Mr. Kendal. Nothing is more difficult to decide than whether a tragedy, comedy, or farce that appeals to and even fasci- nates the reader will be successful on the stage. In this connection even those one would imagine from their great experience to be the best of judges are often, and to their heavy cost, painfully deceived, and have to acknowledge the truism that the play that reads well often acts badly. But, like a clever physician ex- amining a patient, Mr. Kendal can quickly put his finger on a weak spot, and say, " Here lies 302 THE KENDALS the mischief which, if it cannot be cured, will prove fatal." Then he has the physician's painful duty (though, by the way, the man of medicine does pocket his fee !) of breaking the news to his generally resentful patient. I fancy few people know what that play- reading ordeal means. It is a curious fact that although it is one of the most difficult of crafts, all people think they can write for the stage. As a matter of consequence actors and actresses (especially those of note), and every one con- nected with the theatres, whether it be as lessees, managers, or even dramatic critics, are pestered with bales of manuscript, accompanied by urgent requests for immediate opinions. The late E. A. Sothern once said to me, " Everyman I meet has either written a play or wants to sell wine"; and my old friend J. L. Toole has shown me a remarkable letter from an utter stranger to him which ran as follows : — " Sib, — I am in pecuniary difficulties, and therefore I have written a play which I send by this post. I shall be obliged if you will produce it at once, remitting me promptly the usual percentages." Of course the play was an absolutely hopeless one, but in this sort of way those who are pro- "THE KENDALS AT HOME" 303 minent in stage-laud are pestered every hour of the da}^ It is bad euough wheu they come from strangers, who, like intrusive and importunate wine merchants, are hard to shake off ; but far too often they are artfully sent through " friends," who, to their everlasting disgrace, give cruel "introductions" for this fell purpose. Then the difficulties are quadrupled. Besides, there is always this terror to be held in view. A would- be dramatist conceives the brilliantly original idea of a three-act comedy in which a young couple are " engaged " in the first act, quarrel in the second, and are re-united in the third. Crudely treated by a palpable tyro, the piece is impossible and is politely returned. A little later the well-worn theme is so well treated (or rather re-treated) by a skilled playwright that, with successful results, the piece is produced. Then Mr. Tyro foams with rage, and writes to every newspaper likely to publish his diatribes. He declares that his plot has been purloined, his characters appropriated, and his brains picked ; and he gets a fair number of people to believe in his alleged grievances. I sometimes wonder that with such things staring them in the face, actors have the ^ourage — to say nothing of the patience — to read the 304 THE KENDALS work of the supersensitive and suspicious un- acted author. Many, I think, give it up in despair ; some try to get over the difficulty by employing a reader ; but when once an unasked for manuscript has been delivered at the door, the actor or manager is open to the futile but irritating charge of plagiarism. Mr. Kendal, however, makes it his business to read every- thing that is sent to him, and, as I have said, his judgment is rarely at fault. It must be weary work this wading through the reams of writing that pile his library table ; but he has had his reward. He has unearthed many gems. The stepping-stones laid down by him have helped many anxious authors across the difficult and constantly brawling stream that separates the unacted from the acted. His painstaking discrimination is no doubt gratefully remembered by many of the leading dramatists of to-day. In its quiet and unostentatious way this taste- ful library of his has done invaluable work. His courtesy to his unknown, play-writing, corre- spondents, too, is beyond praise. If, as of course he generally has, to say " No," it is done in the kindliest way ; if he can give a little encourage- ment, it is hke the " cup that cheers but not inebriates." If he can distinguish real merit in '^THE KENDALS AT HOME" 305 a new writer, his right hand is extended to him, and his invakiable advice is at his disposal. In this way — in intervals of sketching and read- ing for his own amusement — in fulfilling the numerous social engagements that he shares with his wife (the popularity of the Kendals in the best society of London is unbounded), and in attending to the manifold duties connected with his profession, his time should be fully occupied ; but he finds his leisure for horse exercise, and (latterly) the irresistible cycle. In his holidays he proves himself a good sportsman, and is one of the truest of shots. For example, while shooting on the Scotch coast he once saw lying on a distant rock a line seal. It was a long shot, but the creature was just within range. Mr. Kendal has no idea of killing for the sake of killing, but he thought he would like to have that seal's skin. Aiming at its eye he hit it and killed the animal instantaneously, and to-day he can proudly show the skin unmarked by bullet. But, fully occupied as he is, Mrs. Kendal is even busier, for, in spite of all her arduous pro- fessional work, and multitudinous outside en- gagements, she insists on "housekeeping " as if she had nothing else to do. And right well she 21 306 THE KENDALS does it ! Although hers is the least formal household in the world, its method is admirable. Punctuality is its watchword —unostentatious comfort its precept. Then comes the evening engagement at the theatre, followed by the quiet supper, at which all things are talked over. Of course it is a most happy union. Art, as Mrs. Kendal points out, is intensely absorbing, and if only one of a married pair be its devotee, then his or her preoccupation will sorely try the other's patience. But coming home after the performance as the Kendals do, they compare notes, and tell each other where they think their impersonations might be altered or improved, and each is so anxious for the other's success that immense good comes of these conferences. This, of course, is the ideal stage life ; but though such an excellent state of things cannot fall to the lot of all actors, Mrs. Kendal stoutly denies that her profession has any special dangers for a woman. They must be of her own seeking and making, she says, for there are no dangers for a woman in the theatre unless she courts them, and if she does that she will find them in a drawing-room and a ball-room, with the same ease as in a theatre. Mrs. Kendal is always being asked what she '^ THE KENDAL S AT HOME" 307 thinks of the stage as a profession for young girls, and not very long ago she summed it up as follows : — "I think acting is a most excellent field for young women," she said, "but it must be a field, not a pasture. It is not a pasture on which thousands can graze. Instead of having a hundred in the field we have ten thousand, and there isn't room for them all. Everybody nowadays wants to go upon the stage, and some may have advantages in the way of appearance and youth and education, but this particular art that I follow is not to be taught. Therefore, they may have good looks, they may have youth, they may have education, and yet have not acting. Acting is a thing that's inside, not out- side at all. The modern audience is apt to think acting consists of outside attributes, but it is not so. Then, again, when you can act well and have made money, people are apt to call it luck. I am always called a lucky woman, but I don't think it's all luck. I am vain enough to think that some of it is hard work — very hard work — constant and everlasting work. You must never cease to study. As you get older, you must fill up the wrinkles with intelhgence." Mrs. Kendal is of course right, but the curious 308 THE KENDALS fact exists that, whereas no man or woman with- out a voice would dream of saying they could sing like a Santley or an Albani ; no man or woman incapable of drawing would assert they could produce pictures like a Millais or a Kosa Bonheur; no man or woman without poetry in their veins would try to follow in the footsteps of a Tennyson or an Adelaide Procter, each and all of these, if inoculated with the modern craze for amateur acting, would be intrepidly willing, at very short notice, to appear before the public in characters on which such actors as the Kendals and their famous stage comrades have spent months and months of study — weeks and weeks of stippling to perfection's point. Mrs. Kendal loves her home, and she loves it to be homely. This fact is prettily exemplified in a little article, fancifully called "Nuts," which some years ago she contributed to the Christmas number of the New York Dramatic Mirror. "Now I especially love nuts," she wrote, " because Sunday — that blessed day of rest — is the only time when I can eat them. I simply dare not on other days for fear of my voice becoming affected. So Sunday with me means rest, peace — and nuts ! What can be pleasanter, "THE KENDALS AT HOME" 309 too, than sitting round a huge fire, cooking chestnuts, with all the children, and if a friend calls, however grand his or her status may be, no one is too proud to partake of chestnuts, cooked on a bright, clear fire, glowing and sending up blue sparks from the salt used, amid the laughter of young people and children, who, fresh from school, love spending a cold frosty afternoon playing at cooking nuts — oh, those nuts ! " " But," she adds, " there is one place where I do not like nuts, one place where nuts should never be : where all my pleasure is destroyed in them, and where I wish nuts had never been born— at the theatre ! That's the place where I hate them ! I simply hate them in the gallery of a theatre. Oh ! dear friends of the gallery — for you are friends — as no entertainment can be complete without your co-operation and enthu- siasm — don't eat nuts in the theatre: — that is, during the play. If you only knew what agony you inflict, I'm sure you wouldn't continue to do so. At all West-End houses these things never occur ; but when the actors go into the provincial cities, beheve me, the one thing they dread, the first question they ask, is — ^ Do they cracJc nuts? If the answer is 'Yes' — then farewell 310 THE KENDALS the tranquil mind!— Othello's occupation's gone! The actor trembles for when he comes to some delicate, tender speech — you may be sure that is the moment when — crack ! goes a nut ! " It is at the happy supper time and in the hour's chat that succeeds it, that, the day's work being done, the Kendals are at their brightest and their best. Then they will give you their frank opinions on the art of acting, and tell you anecdotes. Their ideal is, of course, the natural school. Carefully as they attend to the staging of their plays, they do not want anything in the way of furniture, dresses, or upholstery to be obtrusive. They maintain that there is no need for a hero to clutch at a curtain, as if he were a drowning man — nor for a heroine to continually pound sofa cushions with her elbows. People do not do it in real life. Why then should it be tolerated on the stage? At such moments Mrs. Kendal can become very enthusiastic about the good work of her brother and sister artists. I remember her telling me how she went to see Madame Modjeska play in "Heartsease" at the Court Theatre, and was so touched by a brilhant piece of acting that she forgot she was in a theatre and loudly cried out: "How magnificent this ''THE KENDALS AT HOME" 311 woman is ! " Modjeska, she declared, could see her emotion, and played to her for the remainder of the evening. Mrs. Kendal is fond of saying that she often plays to one person. "I remember," she has told me, " seeing a man yawn in the stalls. I put all my magnetism, or whatever it may be called, into that person," she said, " and prayed that I might get him to look at me. At last I caught his eye and kept him awake, and I played to him for the remainder of the evening." She is always very warm in the defence of her own profession, and strongly resents the few lingering aspersions that are made upon it. Once, when returning the call of a titled lady, her hostess remarked that she had never met an actress before, but that her mother, in her capacity of the representative of a foreign court, had, during a sojourn in Paris, entertained the famous Kachel. "Yes," said the daughter of the house, continuing the story, " and they say that good as was her acting in the theatre, it was nothing compared to what she did in the house. She acted so well, mother says, that she might have been taken for a lady." " Do you know what Rachel would do w4ien she returned to her comrades?" said Mrs. Kendal. "She 312 THE KENDALS would give an imitation of every one she met — beginning with your mother." When supper and its pleasant after-chat are over, Mrs. Kendal, if she has a new part to study, will, when all the house is quiet, set herself to new work. There is a stillness at that time which she cannot get at any hour of the day. In the silence she reads her part, and, as its author knows, grasps its inmost meaning. There is a certain excitement, she thinks, in thus working in the silent watches of the night, and certainly her results justify her methods. Among other things that occupy her more than busy life is the important question of the stage dressing of the ladies of their company. She knows very well that pretty dress is now- adays one of the attractions of the theatre, and that to be really attractive it must be super- intended with perfect taste. Before a prolonged tour she often has as many as two hundred feminine costumes, and their colour contrasts, to consider. The task must be an enormous one. Her own dress is always perfect and appro- priate. Does any one remember in what sweet and ladylike simplicity she clothed Kate Verity in "The Squire"? Mr. Pinero had every reason "THE KENDALS AT HOME" 313 to be grateful for those appropriate and fault- lessly fitting gowns. And so it is with all her dresses, as witness her quiet heliotrope when contrasted with the pink and the roses of her unconscious young rival in " The Elder Miss Blossom." And then the Kendals are as much at home when they are away from home. If you go to see them, as I have so often done, in provincial hotels, they are invariably surrounded by some of their household gods. The same homely com- forts, the same genial hospitahty, the same warm handshake to an old friend — all are there. And in their intervals of leisure she is busy wath her needlework ; and he at the window, sketch-book in hand, is making an admirable study of "over the way." His unique collection of such drawings from all sorts of hotel outlooks must some day be published. CHAPTEE XI PICKING UP THE THEEADS. TN writing about the Kendals' experiences in America, I, in a way, missed the thread of my story, for in the intervals between those far- off tours they did a vast amount of work in England, and produced many new plays that demand record. Though on the termination of his partnership with Mr. Hare, Mr. Kendal resolved to throw aside the cares of a permanent management, he has organised seasons at the Court, Avenue, Garrick, and St. James's theatres ; and has most industriously continued his provincial tours, embracing in them the smaller English towns as well as the great manufacturing centres. "Why all this hard work ? " is a question often asked by the curious. The answer is that the Kendals love their art and are happy in its pursuit. " The Weaker Sex," by A. W. Pinero, was 316 THE KENDALS produced by them at Manchester on September 28, 1888 — that is to say before their first visit to America. The play had been completed in 1884, and had been offered to Mr. John Clayton and Mr. Arthur Cecil, who were then in manage- ment at the Court Theatre ; but they had come to the conclusion that their patrons wanted a lighter form of entertainment, and declined it in favour of the same author's "The Magistrate." When, after the lapse of nearly four years, it was offered to the Kendals they felt that it would suit them, and accepted it. In 1860, in one of the earliest numbers of the Cornhill Magazine^ appeared some verses entitled " Unspoken Dialogue," signed by E. Monckton Milnes, in which the terrible position of a mother — " Pour decades o'er her life had met, And left her lovely still " — and daughter in love with the same man was forcibly described. This was the theme that, with characteristic boldness, Mr. Pinero had chosen for "The Weaker Sex," and since his dialogue was perforce spoTieii, the difficulties of the case were a hundredfold increased. The writer of the poem escaped from the tangle PICKING UP THE THREADS 317 created by the unfortunate but by no means impossible state of affairs by causing the mother to yield in favour of her child ; the dramatist dealt with it in two ways. At the outset he gave his play the conventional "happy ending," but, finding this unsatisfactory, he altered the cUnoueDient and brought the curtain down on a picture of sorrow. Mr. Kendal, too, seemed uncertain about his part. At first he played Dudley Silchester, the good genius of the piece, but afterwards aban- doned it for the less popular character of Ira Lee, the poet, and the beloved of the two unhappy women. The sacrifice was no doubt for the good of the play, but though he acted the difficult part with his usual tact and taste, it could not add to his fame. Mrs. Kendal undertook a very trying task. Lady Vivash is a woman who, in a moment of girlish folly, has wrecked the happiness of her life, and who finds a bar to its renewal in the offspring of her loveless union. That throughout the representation of such a complex character as this the actress should be consis- tently womanly, tender, and always in sympathy with her audience spoke volumes for her skill. In the really great scenes in which this hapless 318 THE KENDALS heroine met her old lover, recognised that he was the man spoken of as the bridegroom-elect of her own daughter, made her sacrifice on the girl's behalf, and pleaded with the man for her child's happiness, Mrs. Kendal played with matchless art. After its trial trip in the comitry "The Weaker Sex " was, on March 16, 1889, produced at the Court Theatre. The Kendals were admirably supported by a company that included Mr. W. H. Yernon (who gave an admirable render- ing of the part originally played by Mr. Kendal), Mr. Edward Eighton, Miss Violet Vanbrugh, and Miss Annie Hughes. But its subject was against it, and although enthusiastically received and greatly admired by the critical " The Weaker Sex " did not enjoy a prolonged London run. In America the play was highly success- ful. It was on the autumn tour of 1888 that Mr. Kendal appeared for the first time in Charles Mathews's once famous part of Mr. Gatherwool. It so often falls to his lot to play serious parts that one is apt to forget what an admirable light comedian he is, but those who have seen his Mr. Dabchick in "How to Make Home Happy," or his Hugh de Brass, in "A Kegular Fix," know PICKING UP THE THE E ADS 319 that he is most happily quahfied to represent characters identilied with the name of the most mercurial of actors. He certainly grasped to perfection the eccentricities of the absent-minded Mr. Gather wool, and, though the farce was found to be crude (indeed it is little more than a sketch), the impersonation w^as irresistible. The vacant look of the preoccupied and foggy-minded individual was admirably conveyed, and his half-unconscious actions Vv'ere most easily and naturally managed. Another play belonging to this period, and pro- duced during the season at the Court Theatre, was Mr. Sydney Grundy's comedy "A White Lie." It is a play written in its author's happiest vein — its dialogue is terse and spark- ling — and it provided the Kendals with two of those finely drawn yet homelike comedy cha- racters in which the public love to see them. In Kate Desmond Mrs. Kendal found one of her favourite comedy characters. Mr. Grundy's heroine is the ideal queen of a happy home, and her bright presence and buoyant spirits were absolutely infectious. There were moments in this play that struck me as amongst the best things she had done. The naive manner in which she told her husband of her girlhood's 320 THE KENDALS engagement to another man was admirable ; her little outburst of grief as she sat at the piano after the departure of her dearly loved lord, while her child danced her doll to the accompaniment of her music, was ineffably touching ; and the scene in the last act in which, little by little, she confessed the "white lie" (on which the plot of the play hinges) and its consequences was the very perfection of comedy acting. Mr. Kendal had a part founded on the effec- tive John Mildmay lines. Sir George Molyneux is always requiring a nap, but he sleeps with one eye open, and is the deiis ex macliind of the story. Few actors could bestow on the cha- racter the exact degree of ease, polish, and carefully subdued strength of will that it requires. Exaggerated it might easily degene- rate into caricature. Carefully and artistically handled as it was by Mr. Kendal, it became a really valuable stage study. On September 18, 1890, it was my good fortune to be in the Prince of Wales's Theatre, Birmingham, when Mrs. Kendal (there was no part for Mr. Kendal in the play) appeared for the first time in a one-act drama from the pen of an author who chose to hide his identity under the nom-de-'plume of X. L., entitled " It I'hoto bijl MRS. KENDAX IX 181)9. [Elliott d- Fnj. PICKING UP THE THBEADS 321 was a Dream." It had a curious little history. It was originally written in French, and, under the title of "La Fin du .Bonheur," was accepted for production by the critical committee of the Comedie Fran9aise. Pending its opportunity there the author translated it into English, and Mrs. Kendal saw in the principal character a part that she desired to play. Why she has not played it over and over again is a mystery I have never been able to fathom. Mrs. Kendal's part was that of a loving and confiding wife who, through misrepresentation and misunderstanding, becomes the prey of jealousy. We saw the unhappy woman at first fighting against the green-eyed monster, and then step by step, and as scraps of damning circumstantial evidence were brought home to her, yielding to its power, until she sank down in a very agony of despair. How really great Mrs. Kendal was in this scene is difficult to describe. As one watched her ever-changing face, and noted the nervous action of her hands and tortured restlessness of body, one seemed to share in the horrible torment of her mind, and to feel the heat of the burning fire that was consuming her very soul. There was no straining after effect, no trick of theatrical art was brought 22 322 THE KENDALS into use ; it was simply the faithful picture of an agonised wife and heart-broken woman who in one moment is compelled to think that her husband is a scoundrel, and that her home and happiness are ruined. Luckily the author gave the piece a happy ending, and at the fall of the curtain there was a great demonstration. The applause was tumul- tuous, and the packed audience was not satisfied until Mrs. Kendal had reappeared some three or four times, and told them in a pretty little speech that "it was the first time she had appeared as a jealous wife, and that she hoped to be more perfect in the part by and by." As people went away from the theatre that night they were saying to each other, "Oh! if Mrs. Kendal had been a man, how wonderfully she would have played Othello ! " Mrs. Kendal has not even ambitioned, as many actresses do, to play Hamlet, but it must not be forgotten that she has carefully studied that magnificently drawn character and, in lecture form, given her opinions concerning it. A very refined and attractive picture she made on the evening when, plainly dressed in black silk, and without any decoration in her auburn hair, she appeared at the Westbourne Park Institute to give her views PICKING UP THE THREADS 323 on Shakespeare's masterpiece — " Poor things," she declared, " but her own." In the course of a most interesting address she protested against the generally averred opinion that Shakespeare was a bad actor. His instructions to actors, she said, would remain authoritative for all time. Then, in holiday humour, she recited those instructions, "suiting the action to the word, the word to the action." "Assuming," she declared, "that Shakespeare was a perfect representative of the ghost in ' Hamlet,' he could not have been so unless he had the physical qualities which rendered him fit for other parts." Without entertaining a shadow of doubt as to the genuineness of the poet, and treating Hamlet as a psychological study, the attractive lecturer regarded him as a human sensitive plant com- posed of high intellect, of nervous temperament, rendered morbid, like all such natures, by a quick sensibility. " Yet the pride of our great dramatist," she said later on, "was not in his philosophy, but in his lifelike delineation of character." The stronger passages of the play, "so full of quotations," were robustly discussed and illustrated by perfect reading, while its livelier phases were given sympathetically. 324 THE KENDALS Another success for the Kendals was the welcome revival of Messrs. Herman Merivale and Palgrave Simpson's fine play, "All For Her," in which, in the " seventies," Mr. John Clayton had made such a marked success. This play was founded on Dickens's " Tale of Two Cities," and its hero, Hugh Trevor, was an avowed reproduction of Sydney Carton, though, as a matter of fact, the collaborators had deftly contrived to blend their plot with that of Thackeray's " Henry Esmond." It is an excellent piece of stagecraft, and it gave Mr. Kendal a fine chance. Every one knew that he would be admirable in the comedy moods of the complex character he had undertaken to play, but few were prepared for the intensity of the power, or the delicacy of the pathos that he displayed in the later scenes. In the character of Lady Marsden Mrs. Kendal acted with her usual charm and sincerity, but it cannot be said that the part was worthy of her. In Birmingham, on the 2nd of December, 1892, the Kendals produced Mr. Henry J. W. Dam's drama, " Prince KaraJjoff." As its title indicated, this was a play that dealt with those Kussian conspiracies that have often proved theatrically effective. It contained some good PICKING UP THE THREADS 325 character-drawing, several exciting scenes, and, here and there, excellent acting opportunities. Stepping out of his usual line of characters, Mr. Kendal looked and played the part of the elderly General Karatoff with exemplary care and finesse, and Mrs. Kendal had moments in which she rose to the height of true tragedy. But the one really original character in the play was that of a benevolent old maker of infernal machines, and it was excellently acted by Mr. C. P. Huntley. In connection with this first performance of Mr. Dam's play, which was most enthusiastically received, I must relate a little anecdote illus- trative of Mrs. Kendal's wonderful presence of mind. There was a scene in which she was compelled to bid a long farewell to her child. On her knees, she clasped him to her breast, while the attendants, who had orders to take the boy away, impatiently waited at the back. The last tender, lingering embrace was given in the presence of a hushed house, and the child was almost forcibly led from its agonised mother's arms. In order not to see this sad exit Mrs. Kendal had, apparently, closed her eyes, but she opened them, when a most unexpected titter ran through the audience. I, who knew her so well, 326 THE KENBALS realised what the nervous look on her face meant. Had the situation, and her handling of it, failed ? Then, in an instant, she grasped the cause of the unseemly giggles. In going out the child's cap had most awkwardty fallen off its head and remained upon the stage. Mrs. Kendal knew exactly what to do. With a loving cry she seized the cap, covered it mth kisses, and pressed it to her heart. She at once killed the irreverent laughter, and the applause that followed was not unmingled with tears. Every one thought that the effect, instead of being sheer accident, had been most carefully arranged, and I even heard the author complimented on having invented a very original piece of stage business ! The sequel to the story is funny. A long, long time was supposed to elapse before Mrs. Kendal, in her character of Katherine Yail, was destined to see her child again ; but, when at last it was restored to her, it was wearing the same caj) ! Happily the audience did not notice the blunder, but I could see the little look of dismay on Mrs. Kendal's face. When, after the piece was over, I went "round" to offer her my congratula- tions, she was good-humouredly upbraiding the " dresser " who had made the mistake. " How PICKING UP THE TUBE ADS 327 could you ! how couhJ you ! " she cried. " Don't you know that for months and months of trial and torment that cap has been worn upon my heart, and yet you send the boy home in it ! " Under the title of " The Silver Shell " " Prince Karatoff " was produced in London at the Avenue Theatre, and it was then that Mr. William Ai'cher, catching the tragic note that she un- deniably struck, said: "If we are to have a Lady Macbeth, a Volumnia, a Constance, in the present generation, Mrs. Kendal is the woman. Having been our Mrs. Jordan, why should she not become our Mrs. Siddons ? " It was in the September of 1893 that I went to Liverpool to see my friends in a two-act play from the brilliant pen of Mr. E. C. Carton en- titled " The Fall of the Leaf." This, which was practically a Kendal duologue, very gracefully told the old story of a girl who, believing her first lover to be dead, is induced, against her inclinations, to marry another man. Then, of course, the old lover reappears, the young wife is tempted to go away with him, and at the last moment responds to the call of duty. All this was very cleverly portrayed ; the little piece was perfectly acted, and most cordially received. I 328 THE KENDALS have often wondered why I have never heard of it again. Although I have heard numbers of thoughtless people lightly speak of Mr. Sydney Grundy's "The Greatest of These" as a dull stage sermon, it undoubtedly contains some of that gifted and trenchant author's most brilliant work, and for me it has always had a peculiar fascination, as it would for any one familiar with the dreary routine of Nonconformist life in an English provincial town. No doubt it is in some senses a peculiar play. It does not depend upon theatrical situations, and in the way of scenery and costume it offers little that appeals to the eye, but it shows character-drawing and a knowledge of human nature worthy of all admiration. Mr. Grrundy's characters were surely studied from the life, and he might have taken for his text Coleridge's words, " Experience, like the stern lights of a ship, illuminates the track over which we have passed." Who does not know the father of the Charles Dickens " Gradgrind " type — a praiseworthy and estimable man from many points of view, but a sorry hearthmate for a young, impulsive, and imao-inative wife ? With the best of in Photo by] Ml!. KDNDAL IN 18'J'J. [Elliott d-Frii. ; J PICKING UP THE THREADS 329 tentions, and ever pluming himself on his own self-abnegation and respectability, he unwittingly crushes the joy out of the hves of all who depend upon him, and by reason of his own prim good- ness unknowingly teaches his wife and children to fear and deceive him. Oh yes ! he is an everyday character, and he was admirably portrayed by Mr. Kendal. " He has an um- brella, mother," says his daughter, as she looks at him through the window. "Was father born with an umbrella?" It is the keynote to her father's character. Who does not know the sort of man who seems to have been born with an umbrella? Y/ho does not know the sort of life that that excellent person may be expected to lead? Who does not know how that umbrella will get into the way of other people? "Our duty," sighs his poor father-taught daughter, " is always to do what we don't want to ; and if we do want to, then it is not our duty." As the sorely tried but sometime errant wife Mrs. Kendal played with her accustomed power and sincerity, but I always thought the author might have dealt more tenderly with the character. The acting honours of the play, and they were high ones, were carried off by Mr. Kendal. 330 THE KENDALS " The Greatest of These " was produced at Hull in the autumn of 1895, and after a suc- cessful provincial tour found its London home at the Garrick Theatre. To this ever-growing list of new plays must be added Mr. Allen Upward's " A Flash in the Pan" (afterwards renamed "A Cruel Heritage") and Mr. Walter Frith's "Not Wisely but Too Well." Both contain excel- lent work, and no doubt both will be seen again. But the gem of their new collection is Messrs. Ernest Hendrie and Metcalfe Wood's charming three-act comedy, " The Elder Miss Blossom." In this, if I mistake not, both Mr. and Mrs. Kendal have found parts that they will be able to play for many a long year to come. As Andrew Quick Mr. Kendal has one of those comedy characters that suit him so well, and as Dorothy Blossom Mrs. Kendal is — there is no other word for it — fascinating. It is a well-drawn as well as a most natural character. Most of us know the good and lovable maiden " auntie" who lavishes her affections on her brothers and sisters and their children, but who, maybe, has a warm place in her heart of hearts for the imaginary husband PICKING UP THE THREADS 331 and little ones of her own that in her middle age are denied to her. It was a good idea to put such an everyday and sweet-natured soul into a play ; it was a fortunate thing for the clever authors of " The Elder Miss Blossom " that they found Mrs. Kendal willing to give it Hfe. In the face of her long series of stage triumphs it seems a bold thing to say, and yet I beheve that Mrs. Kendal has never presented a more perfect pic- ture than in the second act of " The Elder Miss Blossom." She has no exquisitely written and weight-carrying lines to dehver, as in the never- to-be-forgotten Galatea days. She has, by the sheer force of acting, to lay bare the working of a true and sensitive woman's heart, crushed by an unexpected blow. There is no striving after effect in this unique performance— it is as quietly as it is wonderfully done. The delicacy of its pathos has never been excelled, and it goes home to the hearts of her spectators. She is equally admirable too in the happier moments given to the character, and nothing more touch- ing than the scene in w^hich she receives the presents for the wedding w^hich the audience know is so unlikely to be hers has been seen on the stage. Ah ! sweet, brave, Dorothy Blossom ! She 332 THE KENDALS must have known by heart Cowper's beautifully summed-up thought — " Oh ! if the selfish knew how much they lost, What would they not endeavour, not endure. To imitate as far as in them lay, Him who his wisdom and his power employs In making others happy." After their usual trip in the country the Kendals took " The Elder Miss Blossom " to the St. James's Theatre, and they might have been playing the piece there still if Mr. Alexander had not been compelled to reappear on his own boards. After their last performance to a crowded and delighted audience a leading critic wrote : "Unluckily for all who love genuine art, ' Miss Blossom ' has to retire. She has been the noblest thing of the dramatic year, the one emphatic proof that Mrs. Kendal is the greatest actress we possess." Yes — without perhaps quite realising it — the Kendals have to their fullest extent exercised their power of "making others happy," and to Mrs. Kendal I would commend the words of Hazlitt when he wrote of the farewell per- formance of Mrs. Siddons : — " She was not only the idol of the people, she not only hushed the tumultuous shouts of the pit PICKING UP THE THREADS 333 in breathless expectation, and quenched the blaze of surrounding beauty in silent tears, but to the retired and lonely student, through long years of solitude, her face has shone as if an angel appeared from heaven ; her name has been as if a voice had opened the chamber of the human heart, or as if a trumpet had awakened the sleeping and the dead. To have seen Mrs. Siddons was an event in every one's life ; and does she think we have forgot her ? " And to have seen the Kendals has been an event in most of our lives — and they will not be forgotten. As Bret Harte beautifully says — " Never a tear bedims the eye That time and patience will not dry ; Never a lip is curved with pain That can't be kissed into smiles again." By their consummate art the Kendals have dried many tears and have revivified many smiles ; and, although they may not be conscious of it, their names are as household words among the multitudes who, all unknown to them, have learned to love them. FINIS. INDEX AcHARD, Frkdbric, 159, 160, 161, 207 Addison, Carlotta, 111 Aide, Hamilton, 101, 102 Aldridge, Ira, 42 Alexander, George, 162, 273, 332 " All for Her," 288, 324 Anderson, James, 9 Anson, G. W., 222 Anstey, F., 149 " A:itoinette Eigaud," 212, 213 Archer, William, 121, 279, 327 " As You LUie It," 11, 53, 81, 98, 205, 208 Atkinson, Miss, 40, 41 Augier, Emile, 146 Bancroft, L.^dy, 37, 107, 110, 112, 121, 199 Bancroft, Sir Squire, 4, 107, 110. 119, 121. 199 Bandmann, Herr, 10 Barnes, J., 213 Bateman, Miss, 10 Bedford, H., 223 Beere, Mrs. Bernard, 153 Bernliardt, Sarah, 208, 263 " Black Eyed Susan," 134, 135, 136, 137^ Blouet, Paul, 75 Boucicault, Dion, 9, 109, 110 Brandon, Thomas, 154 Bret Harte, 213, 333 " Broken Hearts," 102, 103 Brooke, G. V., 9, 38 Brookfield, C, 211 Brough, Lionel, 91 Brough, Miss Fanny, 227 Brough, William, 43, 45 Buchanan, Eobert, 76 Buckstone, J. B., 9, 23, 39, 51, 52, 77 Burnand, F. C, 10, 159 Burnett, Mrs. Hodgson, 162 Campbell, Mrs. Patrick, 273, 274 " Cape Mail, The,' 147 Carr, Comyns, 153 Carton, E. C, 327 Cartwright, C, 211 Cathcart, F. J., 37 Cathcart, E., 100, 213, 220, 223 Cavendish, Miss A