plumber, earning five pounds a
week; and to the horror of her family they become affianced. Having no
sort of intention of keeping up the imposture, even if he could, and
being fearful lest the exposure of his wealth and education would, in
her present state, alienate her affections, he proposes by practical
demonstration to disgust her with the mode of life which she designs to
lead. In collusion with _Effick_ he arranges that he shall invite
_Doris_ to take tea at his friend's attic in Bethnal Green, and reveal
to her the sordid conditions of existence in that quarter.

So far good, and the delightful first Act was rich in promise. Then came
the complexities. There was another girl, _Rose Effick_ (a rich relation
of the socialist), to whom _Callender_ should have been engaged but for
a misunderstanding. It is her business to divert him back to his old
love. You would naturally say that, if it is _Callender's_ object to
disgust _Doris_ with the life of the people, so that she may change her
mind and take him for what he actually is, it will be _Rose's_ object,
since her aim is the frustration of this design, to make Bethnal Green
as attractive as possible, so that _Doris_ will refuse to sacrifice her
ideals when she learns the truth about _Callender_. Yet it looks as if
_Rose_ is playing _Callender's_ game and not her own. At first, it is
true, she tries to make the attic more supportable; imparts a pleasant
flavour to the meal; dismisses the hurdy-gurdies that _Callender_ has
chartered from the Universal Provider. But subsequently she goes
slumming with _Doris_ to such good purpose that the latter turns sick of
the whole thing. Now, you will say, _Callender's_ way is clear; he will
reveal his identity and _Doris_ will be prepared to tolerate his wealth.
On the contrary, Mr. Sutko is not to be defeated by his own
machinations; he means to bring _Callender_ and _Rose_ together; so he
just takes and throws them into one another's arms and consigns _Doris_
to an old admirer whom we have never so much as set eyes on.

[Illustration: A HAIR-AND-TIE ANARCHIST.

_Wilfrid Callender_: Mr. Gerald du Maurier.]

I hope I am more lucid than I seem to myself to be--more lucid, anyhow,
than Mr. Sutro, who has threatened to damage an excellent scheme by
defiance of the first law of drama, even of farce, namely, that the
audience should be permitted to know what the author is after. Nor,
again--though of course he was not asking to