The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Noble Lord, by Percival Wilde

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Noble Lord
A Comedy in One Act

Author: Percival Wilde

Release Date: November 23, 2006 [EBook #19904]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NOBLE LORD ***

Produced by William Coon

THE NOBLE LORD
A Comedy In One Act

By
PERCIVAL WILDE

The Noble Lord

CHARACTERS
HE.
SHE.
PETERS.

THE NOBLE LORD

_A secluded spot in the Maine woods in the neighborhood of a
summer hotel. It is the middle of July. The trees are covered
with foliage, a hot sun casts dancing shadows upon the mossy
ground, and the air is full of the twittering of birds and the
rustle of leaves. A winding path crosses from one side to the
other, and near the center is a little clearing: the stump of a
felled tree, with the lichen-covered trunk itself near it, and a
patch of grassy turf. The eye cannot penetrate far through the
riotously growing underbrush, but as one looks upwards, to the
left, a thinning of foliage, allowing a glimpse of the sky, gives
evidence of the near proximity of some small body of water._

_As the curtain rises the scene is empty. There is only the song
of birds, and the whisper of a gentle breeze. For a few seconds
nothing else is heard. Then, suddenly, not far away, there is the
sound of a splash, followed by the scream of a drowning woman,
"Help! Help! Help!" There is a tremendous crashing through the
underbrush, and another voice, very masculine, very English,
shouts, "Where are you? Where are you?" Rather indefinitely the
first speaker answers, "Here! Help! Help!" Another crashing
through the underbrush, followed by a second splash, and
presently, after a short pause, there enters upon the stage a
tall, much bedraggled Englishman, bearing in his arms the
motionless body of an extremely good-looking girl. Both of them
are very wet, and a trail of water marks their progress across
the scene. Reaching the clearing, the Englishman methodically
deposits the girl on the ground, backs away a foot or so, and
notices that his hands are wet. He reaches into a hip pocket and
draws forth a handkerchief: the ha