LADY JOURNALIST. It's nothing to her tea. I've never had such bad tea. Besides, she cannot get actors or actresses to come to her house. LADY WALPURGE (_overhearing_). I expect _Sir Herbert and Lady Beerbohm Tree_ here to-night, and perhaps VIOLA. (_Sensation_.) [_Enter, hurriedly_, MR. C. T. H. HELMSLEY.] Mr. Alexander, a moment with you! A most important telegram has just arrived. FAUST (_reading_). 'Handed in at Greba Castle, 10.15. Reply paid. Do not close with Stephen Phillips until you have seen my play of _Gretchen_, same subject, five acts and twelve tableaux.--HALL CAINE.' Where is Mr. Stephen Phillips? [STEPHEN PHILLIPS _advances_.] My dear Phillips, I think we will put up _Harold Hodge_ instead. 'The Last of the Anglo-Saxon Editors,' by the last Anglo-Saxon poet. CURTAIN. (1906.) _To_ W. BARCLAY SQUIRE, ESQ. SHAVIANS FROM SUPERMAN. DONNA ANA _has vanished to sup her man at the Savoy; the_ DEVIL _and the_ STATUE _are descending through trap, when a voice is heard crying, 'Stop, stop'; the mechanism is arrested and there appears in the empyrean_ MR. CHARLES HAZELWOOD SHANNON, _the artist, with halo_. THE DEVIL (_while Shannon regains his breath_). Really, Mr. Shannon, this is a great pleasure and _quite_ unexpected. I am truly honoured. No quarrel I hope with the International? Pennell quite well? How is the Whistler memorial getting on? SHANNON. So-so. To be quite frank I had no time to prepare for Heaven, and earth has become intolerable for me. (_Seeing the Statue_.) Is that a Rodin you have there? THE DEVIL. Oh! I forgot, let me introduce you. Commander! Mr. C. H. Shannon, a most distinguished painter, the English Velasquez, the Irish Titian, the Scotch Giorgione, all in one. Mr. Shannon, his Excellency the Commander. SHANNON. Delighted, I am sure. The real reason for my coming here is that I could stand Ricketts no longer. Ricketts the artist I adore. Ricketts the causeur is delightful. Ricketts the enemy, entrancing. Ricketts the friend, one of the best. But Ricketts, when designing dresses for the Court, Trench, and other productions, is not very amiable. THE STATUE (_sighing_). Ah! yes, I know Ricketts. THE DEVIL (_sighing_). We all know Ricketts. Never mind, he shall not come here. I shall give special orders to Charon. Come on to the trap and we can start for the palace. SHANNON. Ah! yes. I heard you were moving to the Savoy. Think it will be a success?