Vignettes of Manhattan; Outlines in Local ColorMatthews, Brander
General
Vignettes of Manhattan; Outlines in Local Color
Matthews, Brander
Manhattan (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction; Short stories, American
"She'll go through the motions, perhaps," Brackett returned, "but she
won't burst a hole in her gloves." Then he slyly nudged his
collaborator.
"The fact is," began Carpenter, thus admonished, "I was just going to
tell Harry Brackett here that maybe we have made a mistake in writing
you a high-comedy part like this--"
The actress flashed a suspicious glance at him, but he went on as if
unconscious of this.
"We can see now," he continued, "that you are going to play this part so
well that you will make a great hit in it, and then the critics will all
be after you to play Lady Teazle and Rosalind. They'll tell you that
you are only wasting your talents in modern plays and that you ought to
devote yourself to the legitimate."
The suspicion faded from Miss Daisy Fostelle's face and the smile of
pleasure reappeared.
"That's so," Harry Brackett declared. "You will make such a hit in this
part, I'm afraid, that Sheridan and Shakespeare will be good enough for
you next season. Now that would be taking the bread out of our mouths!"
The actress laughed easily. "I don't think you would starve," she
returned; "and I might, maybe--if I took to the legitimate. Not that it
would be my first attempt, either, for I played Ariel in the 'Tempest'
when I was a mere child. And it wasn't easy, I can tell you. Ariel's a
real hard part, I think; there's a certain swing to the words, too, and
you can't make up a line of your own if you get stuck, as I could in
this piece of yours."
"No," Brackett confessed, solemnly, "the dialogue of 'Touch and Go' is
not as rhythmic as the dialogue of the 'Tempest.'"
"And I've played Francois in 'Richelieu,' too," continued Miss Fostelle.
"But I don't think I really like any of those Shakespearian parts."
"No," Brackett confessed again, with fearless gravity, "Francois is not
one of Shakespeare's best parts. It wasn't worthy of you, no matter how
inexperienced you were. But Rosalind, now, as Carpenter suggests, and
Beatrice--"
Carpenter here guessed from Dresser's spasmodic manner that the actor
was about to intervene in the conversation, and not knowing what might
be the result, the younger of the dramatists dropped out of the group
and managed to draw Dresser away with him.
After they had exchanged a few words Carpenter looked into the
auditorium to discover where Mary Marvin might be. He saw that she was
by the side of her mother, and that Mrs. Loraine and Sherrington were
still engaged in an earnest conversation. He made a movement as if to
leave Dresser, whereupon the comedian begged him for a moment's
interview.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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