n a
burst of enthusiastic applause crowns her effort. In the original
play, as written by Mr. Haddon Chambers, the hero, being followed by
an Australian detective, commits suicide. As altered for the American
stage--by Mr. Boucicault, it is said,--Captain Swift, to relieve the
Seabrook family from embarrassment, gives himself up to the officers
of justice. In either case the _morale_ of the play--the portrayal of
an absconding bank-burglar and horse-thief as polished, brave,
generous, gentle--is to be regretted, as every apotheosis of vice
should be. Mr. Barrymore, as Captain Swift, exhibits some capital
acting, and Annie Russell makes a very graceful Mabel Seabrook.

Mrs. Burnett's dramatization of her well-known story, "Little Lord
Fauntleroy," is attracting large crowds at the Broadway Theatre. It is
peculiar in that it depends entirely for its success on the acting of
a child, or rather children, Elsie Leslie and Tommy Russell
alternating in the title _role_. This arrangement has been adopted
because the part is so long that it would be too fatiguing for a young
child to play it night after night. Both the children show a
delightful unconsciousness in the recitation of their lines, but
Tommy's natural boyishness fits the character rather better than
Elsie's assumed character, although her gracefulness charms the
audience. The motive of the play, as in the story, is the love of a
boy for his mother; and this makes it a great attraction for the
ladies.

A pretty play is "Sweet Lavender" at the Lyceum. Its plot is simple. A
young lawyer falls in love with his housekeeper's gentle little
daughter, but family pride prevents their union until, by the
opportune failure of a bank, his fortunes are reduced to a level with
hers. Its clever details and quiet humor make it well worth seeing.
Pinero, the author, is a playwright skilled in the mechanical
arrangement of his situations, and everything runs smoothly. Miss
Louise Dillon as Lavender, fits the part exactly.

Thompson and Ryer's play of "The Two Sisters" at Niblo's made many
friends, in spite of its somewhat threadbare theme. There was the
typical dissolute young man who seduces one of the sisters, and the
benevolent hotel-keeper who befriends and marries the other. The
villain murders his father, is arrested, and dies, while the betrayed
girl is given a home by her sister's husband. Some good singing is
scattered throughout the play.

A similar drama, full of lov