nt straight to her father, quite sure
of his love if not of his forgiveness.

I did _not_ take some business which Marion did on Terriss's suggestion.
Where Thornhill tells Olivia that she is not his wife, I used to thrust
him away with both hands as I said--"Devil!"

"It's very good, Nell, very fine," said Terriss to me, "but believe me,
you miss a great effect there. You play it grandly, of course, but at
that moment you miss it. As you say 'Devil!' you ought to strike me full
in the face."

"Oh, don't be silly, Terriss," I said, "she's not a pugilist."

Of course I saw, apart from what was dramatically fit, what would
happen.

However Marion, very young, very earnest, very dutiful, anxious to
please Terriss, listened eagerly to the suggestion during an understudy
rehearsal.

"No one could play this part better than your sister Nell," said Terriss
to the attentive Marion, "but as I always tell her, she does miss one
great effect. When Olivia says 'Devil!' she ought to hit me bang in the
face."

"Thank you for telling me," said Marion gratefully.

"It will be much more effective," said Terriss.

It was. When the night came for Marion to play the part, she struck out,
and Terriss had to play the rest of the scene with a handkerchief held
to his bleeding nose!

I think it was as Olivia that Eleonora Duse first saw me act. She had
thought of playing the part herself some time, but she said: "_Never_
now!" No letter about my acting ever gave me the same pleasure as this
from her:

"Madame,--Avec Olivia vous m'avez donne bonheur et peine. _Bonheur_ part
votre art qui est noble et sincere ... _peine_ car je sens la tristesse
au coeur quand je vois une belle et genereuse nature de femme, donner
son ame a l'art--comme vous le faites--quand c'est la vie meme, _votre_
coeur meme qui parle tendrement, douleureusement, noblement _sous_ votre
jeu. Je ne puis me debarrasser d'une certaine tristesse quand je vois
des artistes si nobles et hauts tels que vous et Irving.... Si vous etes
si forts de soumettre (avec un travail continu) la vie a l'art, il faut
done vous admirer comme des forces de la nature meme qui auraient
pourtant le droit de vivre pour elles-memes et non pour la foule. Je
n'ose pas vous deranger, Madame, et d'ailleurs j'ai tant a faire aussi
qu'il m'est impossible de vous dire de vive voix tout le grand plaisir
que vous m'avez donne, mais puisque j'ai senti votre coeur, veuillez,
chere Madame, croire