Belasco, writing of himself and his co-worker De Mille, says: “For a month we talked over Sothern’s play without a single idea. At this time [1887-’88] pistol cigarette-holders came into fashion. I bought one in the village [near Echo Lake] to amuse the De Mille children, but forgot to take it out of my hip pocket. The next day as De Mille and I were out walking in the snow I leaned against a tree, drew the toy pistol from my pocket, and called out: ’Stand and deliver,’ and in a flash the foolish situation gave us the first idea for what was afterward called ’Chumley.’ We used this serio-comic situation in our Second Act, where _Chumley_ holds a real thief at bay with his cigarette-case.” That, no doubt, is a correct account of the “first idea”; others came from Belasco’s ample store of recollections. _Chumley_, as a character, is a remote variant of the elder Sothern’s _Dundreary_, superimposed on H. J. Byron’s _Sir Simon Simple_, in “Not Such a Fool as He Looks,”--which was written for Charles Mathews. In the development of the plot in which he is implicated and the treatment of the character there is much reminiscence--touches of _John Mildmay_, in his scene with _Captain Hawksley_, in “Still Waters Run Deep”; of _Harry Jasper_, in “A Bachelor of Arts”; of _Sir Bashful Constant_, _Arthur Chilton_, _Mr. Toots_, and, in particular, _Eliott Gray_, in his scene with _Myles McKenna_, in “Rosedale.” All the situations indicated have long been used as common property. The merit of the play consists in the effectiveness with which those situations are employed and in the bright, fluent, and generally telling dialogue with which they are interfused. _Chumley_ is an extremely long part. Sothern’s performance was exceptionally good, and it was received by public and press with copious approbation. The success of the play was unequivocal: it held the stage till November 11. On November 13 Pinero’s “Sweet Lavender” succeeded it, but with the production of that excellent drama at the Lyceum Belasco had, practically, nothing to do: “Sweet Lavender” was sent to New York from London and was “put on” in exact accordance with the prompt-copy as prepared by the author when making Edward Terry’s presentment of it. This was the original cast of “Lord Chumley,” at the Lyceum: