The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith, by Arthur Wing
Pinero

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Title: The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith

Author: Arthur Wing Pinero

Release Date: March 14, 2005 [eBook #15357]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NOTORIOUS MRS. EBBSMITH***

E-text prepared by Stephen Bishop <sbishop100@btinternet.com>

THE NOTORIOUS MRS. EBBSMITH

by

ARTHUR WING PINERO

THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY

AGNES
LUCAS CLEEVE
SYBIL CLEEVE
SIR SANDFORD CLEEVE
DUKE OF ST. OLPHERTS
GERTRUDE THORPE
REV. AMOS WINTERFIELD
SIR GEORGE BRODRICK
DR. KIRKE
FORTUNE
ANTONIO POPPI
NELLA
HEPHZIBAH

The Scene is laid in Venice--first at the Palazzo Arconati, a lodging
house on the Grand Canal; afterwards in an apartment in the Campo
S. Bartolomeo.

It is Easter-tide, a week passing between the events of the First and
Second Acts.

THE FIRST ACT

The Scene is a room in the Palazzo Arconati, on the Grand Canal,
Venice. The room itself is beautiful in its decayed grandeur, but the
furnishings and hangings are either tawdry and meretricious or avowedly
modern. The three windows at the back open on to a narrow covered
balcony, or loggia, and through them can be seen the west side of the
canal. Between recessed double doors on either side of the room is a
fireplace out of use and a marble mantelpiece, but a tiled stove is
used for a wood fire. Breakfast things are laid on the table. The sun
streams into the room.

[ANTONIO POPPI and NELLA, two Venetian servants, with a touch
of the picturesque in their attire, are engaged in clearing the
breakfast-table.]

NELLA. [Turning her head.] Ascolta! (Listen!)

ANTONIO. Una gondola allo scalo. (A gondala at our steps.)[They open
the centre-window, go out on to the balcony, and look down below.] La
Signora Thorpe. (The Signora Thorpe.)

NELLO. Con suo fratello. (With her brother.)

ANTONIO. [Calling.] Buon di, Signor Winterfield! Iddio la benedica!
[Good day, Signor Winterfield! The blessing of God be upon you!]

NELLA. [Calling.] Buon di, Signora! La Madonna Passista! (Good d