0 for the
privilege of reading a new French play. The author seems to want to
get rich quickly. I would be willing to add to his wealth if he has
something that can be produced without such a preliminary penalty.

_To W. Lestocq:_

When one talks to an English author about "Diplomacy," he says,
"Oh, that's a theatrical play!" I wish I could get another like it.

_To an English manager:_

A hundred theaters here are a few too many. Houses have closed on a
Saturday night without any warning. Boston, Chicago, and
Philadelphia have been better. You see we have this wonderful
country to fall back on, which makes it different from London.

_To an author in London:_

What you say is quite true; a good play is a good play; but the
difficulty I find is to ascertain through the public and the
box-office what _they_ think is a good play. Our opinion is only
good for ourselves. But give me a dramatic play and I'll put it at
once to the test.

_To Hubert Henry Davies, the dramatist, during an interim of that
author's activities:_

It grieves me when I can't get your material going, especially as I
want to come over as soon as I can and get one of those nice
lunches in your nice apartment.

_To the manager of an up-state New York theater regarding an impending
first-night performance:_

I hope we shall draw a representative audience the first night. I
know audiences with you are sometimes a little reluctant about
first nights. I can't understand this myself. In my opinion there
is an extra thrill for them in the experience of a first
performance, as it is a special event.

_To Granville Barker, January, 1913:_

I am very jealous of the Barrie plays, and I do want them for my
own theater for revivals.... I hear such good reports about your
Shakespearian work that I am awfully pleased. I have had a Marconi
from Shakespeare himself, in which he speaks highly of what you
have done for his work. I am sure this will be as gratifying to you
as it is to me.

_Alluding to his painful rheumatism in a letter to George Edwardes, the
producer, in England, January, 1913:_

I can't run twelve yards, but I can drink a lot of that bottled
lemonade of yours when I get over. In fact, at the moment I think
that is the best thing running in London.

_In February, 1913, Frohman made