rt of the author's ingenuity. It leads to
the establishment of a sort of object-speech, by aid of which the Earl
learns that his guest has come to England to prosecute a vendetta
against the man who ruined his happy Sicilian home. I need scarcely say
that this villain is none other than D'Orelli; and when at last he and
the Countess elope to Paris, the object-speech enables Giuseppe to
convey to the Earl, by aid of a brandy-bottle, a siphon, a broken plate,
and half-a-crown, not only the place of their destination, but the very
hotel to which they are going. This is a fair example of that ingenuity
for ingenuity's sake which was once thought the very essence of the
playwright's craft, but has long ago lost all attraction for intelligent
audiences.

We may take it as a rule that any scene which requires an obviously
purposeful scenic arrangement is thereby discounted. It may be strong
enough to live down the disadvantage; but a disadvantage it is none the
less. In a play of Mr. Carton's, _The Home Secretary_, a paper of great
importance was known to be contained in an official despatch-box. When
the curtain rose on the last act, it revealed this despatch-box on a
table right opposite a French window, while at the other side of the
room a high-backed arm-chair discreetly averted its face. Every one
could see at a glance that the romantic Anarchist was going to sneak in
at the window and attempt to abstract the despatch-box, while the
heroine was to lie perdue in the high-backed chair; and when, at the
fated moment, all this punctually occurred, one could scarcely repress
an "Ah!" of sarcastic satisfaction. Similarly, in an able play named Mr.
and Mrs. Daventry, Mr. Frank Harris had conceived a situation which
required that the scene should be specially built for eavesdropping.[7]
As soon as the curtain rose, and revealed a screen drawn halfway down
the stage, with a sofa ensconced behind it, we knew what to expect. Of
course Mrs. Daventry was to lie on the sofa and overhear a duologue
between her husband and his mistress: the only puzzle was to understand
why the guilty pair should neglect the precaution of looking behind the
screen. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Daventry, before she lay down,
switched off the lights, and Daventry and Lady Langham, finding the room
dark, assumed it to be empty. With astounding foolhardiness, considering
that the house was full of guests, and this a much frequented public
room, Daventry procee