The play will not bear consideration. That Mrs. Carter should not have been irrevocably damned as an actress by making her first appearance in such a puerile composition speaks much for her natural talent and for Belasco’s skilful tuition and management. That he should have risked her advent in such a fabric of trash is astounding. Since, ultimately, he established her as a highly successful star, I suppose he would maintain that his judgment has been vindicated. I cannot but feel, however, [Illustration: Photograph by Sarony. Belasco’s Collection. MRS. LESLIE CARTER About the time of “The Ugly Duckling”] that, had he embarked her with a good play, he would have brought her to public acceptance much earlier than he did. In Mrs. Carter’s performance of _Kate Graydon_ there were moments in which she escaped the thraldom of solicitude and self-consciousness and clearly indicated possession of the faculty of vigorous dramatic expression. This was the original cast of “The Ugly Duckling”: _Douglas Oakley_ Arthur Dacre. _Count Malatesta_ Edward J. Henley. _Professor Graydon_ William H. Thompson. _Viscount Huntington_ Ian [Forbes-] Robertson. _Mr. Ernest Granly_ R. F. Cotton. _Jack Farragut_ Raymond Holmes. _Chevalier Raff_ Mervin Dallas. _Randolph_ Thomas Oberle. _Mrs. Graydon_ Ida Vernon. _Hester Graydon_ Helen Bancroft. _Kate Graydon_ Mrs. Leslie Carter. _Mrs. Granly_ Helen Russell. _Helen_ Ida Macdonald. _Agnes_ Fannie Batchelder. “If it had not been for the interest of Isaac Rich, of Boston,” Belasco told me, “whose friendship and good will I had gained through my work on Gillette’s dramatization of ’She,’ and who was kind enough to help me when it seemed as though most of the rest of the world was against me, I don’t believe we could have got a tour booked anywhere. However, we _did_ manage to get a route--and lost a fair-sized fortune playing it! Mrs. Carter was made a target all along the line.” MORE FAILURE, AND A LAWSUIT.