Part 7 (1/2)
”But, indeed,” I feebly insisted, only to be brought up short with the words, ”Kindly allow ly o?” But he was growing vexed, and curtly commanded:
”I want those first five minutes--what he did, and how he did it, and what the effect was, and then”--speaking dreamily--”I shall know--I shall know”
Now at Mr Daly's last long-drawn-out ”A-a-ah,” anent Mr Irving's winning applause without words, I believed an idea, new and novel, had sprung into his mind, while his present rapt manner would tell anyone fa a plan I ondering what it could be, when a sharp ”Well?” startled me into swift and beautiful obedience,
”You see, Mr Daly, I knew absolutely nothing of the story of the play that night 'The Bells' were, I supposed, church-bells In the first act the people were rustic--the season winter--snow flying in every time the door opened The absent husband and father was spoken of by hbour Then there were sleigh-bells heard, whose jingle stopped suddenly The door opened--Mathias entered, and for the first time winter was ether instinctively, for the tall, gaunt man at the door was cold-chilled, just to the very s had been exchanged, he seated hie, a mere trifle in advance of others in the scene, and proceeded to rereat coloured handkerchief and brushed away sohtly trean to unfasten a top buckle Suddenly the treers clenched hard upon the buckle, the whole body becan of life in the ! His tortured eyes saw nothing Utterly without speech, without feeling, he listened--breathlessly listened! A cold chill crept stealthily about the roots of my hair, I clenched ood God, will it co he listens for?' When with a wild bound, as if every nerve and muscle had been rent by an electric shock, he was upon his feet; and I was answered even before that suffocating cry of terror--'The bells! the bells!'--and under cover of the applause that followed I said: 'Haunted! Innocent or guilty, this reat actor, for though fine things followed, you know the old saying, that 'no chain is stronger than its weakest link' Well I always feel that no actor is greater than his carefulest bit of detail”
Mr Daly's pale face had acquired a faint flush of colour, ”Thank you!” he said, with real cordiality, and I was delighted to have pleased him, and also to see the end of my troubles, and once more took up the sun-shade
”I think an actor like that could win any public, don't you?”
”I don't know,” I lightly answered ”He is generally regarded as an acquired taste”
”What do you mean?” came the sharp return
”Why, you 's eccentricities are not to be counted upon the fingers of both hands?”
Mr Daly lifted his brows and smiled a contented smile: ”Indeed? And pray, what are these peculiarities?”
”Oh, soure, some of movement, and some of delivery
A lady told me over there that he could walk like each and every aniers as to whether London will force him to abandon his elocutionary freaks, or he will force London to accept the, myself”
”What! What's that you say? That this fine actor you have described has a marked peculiarity of delivery--of speech?”
”Marked peculiarities? Why, they are e inflections, hisat first, but be conquers before--”
A cry stopped er! Mr Daly stood staring at his notes a moment, then he exclaiely tore his scribbled-on paper into bits and flung them on the floor
Startled at his vexation, convulsed with suppressed laughter at the infantile quality of his profanity, I ventured, in a shaking voice, ”I think I'd better go?”
”I think you had!” be agreed curtly; but as I reached the door he said in his erial tone: ”Miss Morris, it would be better for you to begin with people's faults next time--”
But with the door already open I made bold to reply: ”Excuseto be any next ti all the way home, as I have often wondered since, as the plan that went so utterly agley that day?
Mr Coghlan he engaged after failing in his first effort, but that other, greater plan; as it?
SIR HENRY IRVING