d. But I think that when the character is that of a young
girl, the betrayal of whose innocence is the main theme of the play,
no amount of skill on the part of the actress can make up for the loss
of youth.

Suggestions were thrown out to me (not by Henry Irving, but by others
concerned) that, although I was too old for Margaret, I might play
_Martha_! Well! well! I didn't quite see _that_. So I redeemed a
promise given in jest at the Lyceum to Frank Benson twenty years
earlier, and went off to Stratford-upon-Avon to play in "Henry VIII."

I played Katherine on Shakespeare's Birthday--such a lovely day,
bright and sunny and warm. The performance went finely--and I made a
little speech afterwards which was quite a success.

During these pleasant days at Stratford, I went about in between the
performances of "Henry VIII," which was, I think, given three times a
week for three weeks, seeing the lovely country and lovely friends who
live there. A visit to Broadway and to beautiful Madame de Navarro
(Mary Anderson), was particularly delightful. To see her looking so
handsome, robust, fresh, so happy in her beautiful home, gave me the
keenest pleasure. I also went to Stanways, the Elchos' home--a
fascinating place. Lady Elcho showed me all over it, and she was not
the least lovely thing in it.

In Stratford I was rebuked by the permanent inhabitants for being kind
to a little boy in professionally ragged clothing who made me, as he
has made hundreds of others, listen to a long made-up history of
Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare, "The Merchant of Venice," "Julius
Caesar," and other things--the most hopeless mix! The inhabitants
assured me that the boy was a little rascal, who begged and extorted
money from visitors by worrying them with his recitation until they
paid him to leave them alone.

Long before I knew that the child was such a reprobate, I had given
him a pass to the gallery and a Temple Shakespeare! I derived such
pleasure from his version of the "Mercy" speech from the "Merchant of
Venice" that I still think he was ill-paid!

The quality of mercy is not strange
It droppeth as _the_ gentle rain from 'Eaven
Upon _the_ place beneath; it is twicet bless.
It blesseth in that gives and in that takes
It is in the mightiest--in the mightiest
It becomes the throned monuk better than its crownd.
It's an appribute to God inself
It is in the thorny 'earts of Kings
But not in the fit and dread of king