ew moments about her
late husband, who had been something of a figure in his time and had
made a career in the traffic in French plays adapted for the British
theatre.

A scene or two was rehearsed, when an artist arrived with a model for a
'set' for _The School for Scandal_. The company gathered round and
admired, while Sir Henry sat and played with it, trying various
lighting effects with an electric torch.

'No,' he said, 'you can't get the effects with electric light that you
used to be able to obtain with gas.... Give me gas. The theatre has
never been the same. This electric light is cold. It is killing the
theatre.'

When the artist had gone, a journalist arrived for an interview, which
was granted on condition that an article by Sir Henry on British
Audiences was printed, and for the rest of the morning the secretary
was kept busy taking down notes for the article.

For Clara it was a very delightful morning. Her own scene was not
reached, and she sat happily in a corner by the proscenium turning over
the pages of her book, watching Sir Henry's antics, appreciating the
skill with which, in spite of all his digressions, he kept things
lively, and managed to get the work he wanted out of his company....

As the players dispersed, he stood in the middle of the stage and
sighed heavily. Clara was for stealing away, when he strode across to
her, seized her by the arm, and said in his deep rolling voice,--

'Don't go, little girl. Don't go.'

'But I want to go,' replied she. 'And I'm not a little girl. I'm a
married lady.'

'Ah! marriage makes us all so old,' said Sir Henry, with a gallant
sigh.... 'You're the little girl who reads books, aren't you? I've
heard of you. I've written a book or two, but I never read them. I
have quite a lot of books upstairs in my room--given me by the
authors.... Won't you come to lunch? I feel I could talk to you.'

He had suddenly dropped his mannerisms, his affectation of thinking of
a thousand and one things at once, and was a simple and very charming
person of no particular age, position, or period--just a human being
who wanted for a little to be at his ease. He took Clara by the arm,
and, regardless of the staring eyes of those whom they met in the
corridors, swept her along to the room which Charles had likened to an
aquarium. Then he made her sit in the most comfortable chair, while he
bestrode another not a yard away, and stared at her with his
ex