The subsequent scene may be so pathetic that on the hundredth night it is still bringing tears to the eyes of the fireman, but you must not expect to be treated as a serious dramatist. You will see this for yourself if you consider the passage as it should properly have been written:-- _Enter_ Lord Arthur Fluffinose. Lady Larkspur _looks at him with amazement_. _Lady Larkspur_. Arthur, what are _you_ doing here? _Lord Arthur_. I caught the 2.3 from town. It gets in at 3.37, and I walked over from the station. It's only a mile. _(At this point he looks at the grandfather clock in the corner, and the audience, following his eyes, sees that it is seven minutes to four, which appears delightfully natural.)_ I came to tell Larkspur to sell Bungoes. They are going down. _Lady Larkspur (folding her hands over her chest and gazing broodingly at the footlights)_. Larkspur! _Lord Arthur (anxiously)_. What is it? _(Suddenly.)_ Has he been ill-treating you again? _Lady Larkspur (flinging herself into his arms)_. Oh, Arthur, Arthur, take me away! And so on. But it may well be that Lord Larkspur has an intrigue of his own with his secretary, Miss Devereux, and, if their big scene is to take place on the stage too, the hall has got to be cleared for them in some way. Your natural instinct will be to say, "_Exeunt_ Fluffinose _and_ Lady Larkspur, _R. Enter_ Lord Larkspur _and_ Miss Devereux, _L_." This is very immature, even if you are quite clear as to which side of the stage is L. and which is R. You _must_ make the evolutions seem natural. Thus:-- _Enter from the left_ Miss Devereux. _She stops in surprise at seeing_ Lord Arthur _and holds out her hand_. _Miss D_. Why, Lord Arthur! Whatever-- _Lord A_. How d'you do? I've just run down to tell Lord Larkspur to-- _Miss D_. He's in the library. At least he-- _Lord A. (taking out his watch_.) Ah, then perhaps I'd better-- [_Exit by door on left._] _Miss D._ (_to_ Lady L.). Have you seen "The Times" about here? There is a set of verses in the Financial Supplement which Lord Larkspur wanted to--(_She wanders vaguely round the room. Enter_ Lord Larkspur _by door at back._) Why, here you are! I've just sent Lord Arthur into the library to-- _Lord L_. I went out to speak to the gardener about-- _Lady L_. Ah, then I'll go and tell Arthur--_[Exit to library, leaving_ Miss Devereux _and_ Lord Larkspur _alone_. And there you are. You will, of course, appreciate that the unfinished sentences not only save time, but also make the manoeuvring very much more natural. So far I have been writing as if you were already in the thick of your play; but it may well be that the enormous difficulty of getting the first character on has been too much for you. How, you may be wondering, are you to begin your masterpiece?