The school cheer-leader was tall and statuesque, and his voice was deep
and resonant ... but, though pleased with his stature and his vocal
qualifications, Van Maarden decided on me to play the lead in his
abnormal play.... I did not possess as fine a voice, but I knew the
mystics almost as well as he did.... I believed in spiritism, and would
be accordantly sympathetic with the author's ideas....

* * * * *

The rehearsal of the play progressed. Van Maarden, receiving' from
Dineen's own personal bank-account a substantial advance on the expected
receipts from the two performances, returned East, and sailed away for
Holland.

But an intimate friend of Penton Baxter's, before he left, he related to
me many fine things about the latter, and spoke in special admiration of
his wife, Hildreth.

* * * * *

I rehearsed and rehearsed.

I fought and fought with the directress, a teacher of elocution, who
tried to make me mouth my words in the old style.

She swore that she would get rid of me as Iistral (pronounced Eestral),
if it were not for the fact that it would seriously embarrass her to try
others for the part, the time of production being so near.

Dineen upbraided me for being insubordinate....

I asked Dineen please to believe in me, and watch results.

My idea of acting was to go into the part, be burned alive by it ... to
recite my lines naturally.

I was proud of myself. I was to act as lead in a play by a
world-celebrated author, in its premier American production.

The story of it was that of a young poet-student, Iistral ... eccentric
... a sensitive ... who had, while tutoring the children of a count,
fallen in love with the countess, his wife ... on the discovery of the
liaison, she had committed suicide in a lake on their private
grounds....

The play opened up with the young student, Iistral, come back home,
after the wife's death....

The tragedy had affected him strangely.

He wore a Hindoo robe, let his beard grow like a Yogi ... was irritated
with the unimaginative, self-seeking smugness of the grown-ups.

He found in Lisel, a little niece of his, the wise, innocent,
illuminated imagination of childhood. And he associated with her,
teaching her the mystic meanings of flowers in the garden.

But he lived for one thing only--the coming of the voice of Egeria, as
he called the spirit of the dead countess....

Her voice came