s
limitations characterized it. He was very gentle and forbearing with
their mistakes, but he was absolute master all the same. If some one
erred, Godolphin left his place and went and showed how the thing should
be said and done. He carefully addressed the men by their surnames, with
the Mr. always; the women were all Dear to him, according to a
convention of the theatre. He said, "No, dear," and "Yes, dear," and he
was as caressingly deferential to each of them as he was formally
deferential to the men; he required the same final obedience of them,
and it was not always so easy to make them obey. In non-essentials he
yielded at times, as when one of the ladies had overdone a point, and he
demurred. "But I always got a laugh on that, Mr. Godolphin," she
protested. "Oh, well, my dear, hang on to your laugh, then." However he
meant to do Haxard himself, his voice was for simplicity and reality in
others. "Is that the way you would do it, is that the way you would say
it, if it were _you_?" he stopped one of the men in a bit of rant.

Even of Maxwell he exacted as clear a vision of his own work as he
exacted of its interpreters. He asked the author his notion of points in
dress and person among the different characters, which he had hitherto
only generalized in his mind, and which he was gladly willing, when they
were brought home to him, to leave altogether to Godolphin's judgment.

The rehearsal had gone well on towards the end of the first act, and
Godolphin was beginning to fidget. From where she sat Louise saw him
take out his watch and lean towards her husband to say something. An
actor who was going through a piece of business perceived that he had
not Godolphin's attention, and stopped. Just then Mrs. Harley came in.

Godolphin rose and advanced towards her with the prompt-book shut on his
thumb. "You are late, Miss Havisham."

"Yes," she answered, haughtily, as if in resentment of his tone. She
added in concession, "Unavoidably. But Salome doesn't come on till the
end of the act."

"I think it best for the whole company to be present from the
beginning," said Godolphin.

"I quite agree with you," said Mrs. Harley. "Where are we?" she asked,
and then she caught sight of Louise, and came up to her. "How do you do,
Mrs. Maxwell? I don't know whether I'm glad to see you or not. I believe
I'm rather afraid to have you see my Salome; I've an idea you are going
to be very severe with her."

"I am sure no severit