Front matter (continued 4)

"Those, my dear B., who can remember Lady Bancroft in the plenitude of her powers, the fulness of her witchery, are—I speak feelingly—rapidly growing fewer and fewer; and it is with the aim, I suppose, of conveying an impression of what she was at the time I mention, and for at least a decade afterwards, to the theatre-lovers of to-day—who saw her, if they saw her at all, when age had begun to weigh upon her—and to the theatre-lovers of the future, that you are inviting two or three men, old enough so to remember her, and who yet linger more or less actively on the scene, to contribute to your forthcoming book. Phew! A pretty difficult task, unless one employs language which in modern slang I understand is called 'mushy.' In the first place, of course, she knew her business to her finger-tips. That a practitioner of any of the arts should have known his or her business is frequently remarked in disparagement. Great artists, however, will take care to include a knowledge of their business—i.e. of the tricks of their trade—among other accomplishments, one of the latter being the faculty for hiding those tricks from the public. Lady Bancroft knew her business—and other people's; that is, though a born comedian, she could, if her physique had allowed of it, have 'gone on,' in theatrical phrase, for Lady Macbeth, or Juliet, or Ophelia, and have triumphed. (In fact, occasionally, she did 'go on' for parts for which she was hardly physically suited, and perhaps it was a pity she didn't do so oftener. She would have been forgiven.) And her experience, commencing in babyhood, and her innate cleverness, had taught her how, while keeping strictly within the picture-frame, to button-hole, as it were, each individual member of the audience. The man on the farthest bench of the topmost gallery, as well as the man in the stalls, was flattered by her skill into believing that she was acting specially for him. I myself have watched her act from the sixpenny gallery of a large theatre—that same Standard in Shoreditch, the pit being beyond my means for a second visit—and felt that she was so near to me that by stretching out my hand I could have grasped hers. As for her laugh, I won't—I daren't—attempt to describe it, because I should have to say that at one moment it was like the trill of a singing-bird, at another that it seemed not to be the music of her throat, but to bubble up from her very soul; and that, though gospel-truth, would be too terribly mushy. Nor her speaking-voice, because, again, I should have to say that it had something of the quality of the note of the purest of silver bells; nor her eyes, because in mirth they twinkled—thrice-hackneyed simile!—like twin stars, and in expressing sorrow resembled the little rain-pools when the sun has come out after a summer shower; and to say anything of the sort, while it would be equally true, would also be mushy to an insupportable degree. But I will say, because it is just a trifle less trite and banal, and because to do her justice it ought to be said, that the secret and source of her genius lay not in her artistry—which was consummate—but in herself. She was a fine, warm-hearted creature, and her acting was a reflection of the glow of her innermost nature.

The secret of genius

"Patches of shadow becloud every career, however brilliant. The tragedy of Lady Bancroft's career was that after Robertson's death no dramatist arose who could, or would, provide her with material worthy of her talent. For years, therefore, she retained her hold upon the public mainly by her 'Polly' in Caste, 'Naomi Tighe' in School, and 'Mary Netley' in Ours. From time to time she acted in new pieces by other authors, which lacked the attraction of Robertson at his best; and then, after giving us a captivating Lady Teazle, and delighting us in revivals of some other old comedies, in order to extend the repertory of the theatre she gallantly subordinated herself, when policy demanded it, to playing parts of minor importance. Towards the end, spurred by a surviving ambition into trying to make bricks without straw—and it must be confessed that she made sounder bricks without straw than did many an actress who was supplied with stacks of that commodity—she took to applying her ready wit to 'writing up' the tiny parts she was condemned to play, until at last her rare appearances became not so much those of an actress engaged in impersonating a character as of a charming lady determined at all costs to be amusing.

"But she had done enough long before then to win a place in stage history with the most illustrious of the comic actresses of the past. Margaret Woffington, Kitty Clive, Frances Abington and Dorothea Jordan had a legitimate successor in Marie Wilton.

"Thank you for letting me join in your tribute to her.

"Devotedly yours, till my chair is empty,

"ARTHUR PINERO."

Truth to nature

The third tribute is from Johnston Forbes-Robertson:

"MY DEAR B,

"It is a great privilege to comply with your wish. It was in 1878 that I first met Lady Bancroft. She was then about to retire for a holiday from the part of Zicka in Diplomacy. A year later I had the good fortune to meet her on the stage when you engaged me to act in Ours. In the following year I moved with the celebrated company from the Prince of Wales's to the Haymarket Theatre, which had been transformed by you into the most beautiful theatre in London. Here I was cast for a part in School: hence it is my proud boast that I acted with Marie Bancroft in her prime, and was in personal touch with Mary Netley and Naomi Tighe!

"Alas! it is not in me to convey to the present generation the powers of this incomparable actress. The winsomeness, the cajolery, the sprightly vivacity, the joyousness, and the tenderness of it all! Every note could she play upon, and never was any note forced. The means by which she attained these varied and subtle emotions were not to be traced. All appeared so simple, so illusive, that it came home to one as being absolutely true to nature. She was complete mistress of all the resources of her art, and yet those resources were never laid bare, never discoverable by the onlooker. Every movement was simple, direct and natural; every intonation and inflection true; every word that fell from her lips clean cut and distinct. No matter how rapidly a passage was delivered, she was heard even to the farthest seat of the largest theatre.

"Polly Eccles! Why, the very thought of the name makes my face pucker with smiles, and it must be bordering on fifty years ago when first she bewitched me in the part! Yes, 'bewitching Marie Wilton' was a phrase common amongst us in those days, and in truth the witchery was there in full measure, and to overflowing.

"Still in my mind is the beautiful farewell to her on the day when her mortal remains were laid to rest. I was very proud at finding myself one of the four intimate friends chosen to pay their last respects at her burial; and when, towards the close of the memorial service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields which immediately followed it, that inspired man delivered the farewell address (quite the most beautiful of the many I have heard), I was shaken with a deep emotion even to tears.

"Ever your affectionate friend, "J. FORBES-ROBERTSON."

I will restrict myself to writing of her in one play only, and will choose W. S. Gilbert's dramatic contrast Sweethearts—which, by the way, I had the good fortune to name.

"Sweethearts"

No play of its length has ever excited more attention than Sweethearts. Pages could be filled with the chorus of praise which swelled from the press. One leading critic wrote that Gilbert had determined to test talent by a most difficult stage exercise; and that my wife had been able to prove the studied grace and polished elegance of her dramatic scholarship. From the subject set to her, called Sweethearts, she produced the poem of "Jenny." The success of the creation was complete. No striking or unusually clever writing, no wit, or epigram, or quaint expression of words, no telling scene, or passionate speech, taken separately or in combination, could account for the impression made by the actress. The audience was fascinated by the detail of the portrait, as charming in youth as it was beautiful in age.

An accomplished judge of acting, well acquainted with the European stage, after our retirement from management, said of my wife: "In my humble opinion, the gem of her repertoire is Sweethearts, next to that, Masks and Faces and Caste." Ellen Terry has written that her performance in Sweethearts was unapproachable.

More perfect acting, I venture to say, has not been seen upon our stage. The ars celare artem was at its highest and best; there were tones and touches, hints and suggestions, which were marvellous in the wealth of meaning they conveyed. Of her acting, indeed, it might be said, as one of our old poets proclaimed of the face of his mistress:

I have seen all the finest acting available to me in the last seventy years—since my boyhood—and still delight in the enjoyment of the stage. I can summon noble phantoms from the past, and dwell gladly upon the experiences of more recent days. After searching thought, the most critical remembrance, I can recall no acting more perfect, in my judgment, than my wife's performances in Sweethearts. The creatures of the different acts were, from the first line to the last, absolutely distinct, but equally complete; the one, a portrait of impetuous girlhood, the other of calm maturity. There was not, throughout, one movement of the body, one tone of the voice, one look on the speaking face, to change or amend. There was nothing, it seemed to me, that could in any way be bettered. There shone throughout those gleams of genius which in all art are priceless.

In peace and war

The parts she played upon the stage were the sweet romance of life, but she was ever ready to face its stern realities; and I was proud of her record in the Great War. In spite of advanced years and broken health, she lived through it, with brief absences only, and without a murmur, on the shore of the sea, with all its alarms and risks; but, then, I have always known her to be brave, even when her life was in danger. She was unsparing in hospitality—I recall an occasion when she had the pleasant company of General Sir Arthur Sloggett and Edward Knoblock, who were hung up with their men for the night at Folkestone—and untiring in organising and leading in amusements, helped by her interest in those who were spared, and those who were maimed and wounded, and by the remembrance of those who rest in the grave-fields of Flanders and France, or lie deep down under the sea.

By her own written request, the hour and place of her funeral were kept secret, and were only known to immediate members of her family and four friends who were chosen to represent the calling she had loved and served. These four friends were Arthur Pinero, Johnston Forbes-Robertson, Arthur Chudleigh and Gerald du Maurier.

The funeral was conducted by her friend and mine, the Reverend W. H. Elliott, the Vicar of Holy Trinity, Folkestone, who delivered the Address at the Memorial Service which, immediately afterwards, was held at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields by Canon Edgar Sheppard.

The spirit of the artist

This was the address to which Forbes-Robertson refers in his tribute; and I ask the reader, as a favour to myself, not to pass it by.

"We have come together to remember before God one who, having played her part bravely and earnestly in this scene that men call life, is now hidden from us by the curtain that men call death. We do so in the sure and certain hope that what we know of life here is only the First Act in a great eternal drama, of the which the end is not yet. So often we feel, as one by one our friends depart in this mystery of death, that the curtain has fallen upon a tale that is only half told, its problems unsolved, its meaning undisclosed, its virtues unrewarded. But the play is not done. We wait as Christians for the hour when, at the sounding of celestial trumpets, this great curtain shall uproll once again and reveal to our amazed eyes that last tremendous scene, in which all things shall be made new. Such is death. It is a pause—that is all—and one that does but make more wonderful the music of an endless life.

"I shall not do more than remind you of those many gifts which Lady Bancroft possessed, which the years in their passing seemed to leave almost untouched, which she offered so freely for the public good. After all, the work and significance of any life depend not so much upon its natural endowment as upon the spirit in which that endowment is accepted and used. It is the spirit of the artist that matters, and it is of this in the lifetime of Lady Bancroft that you are thinking, I know, at this hour. Without that eager generous spirit her influence could never have been what it was. I have heard her say more than once that in her youth she was not a very apt pupil in the use of the voice, and indeed that she made very little effort in regard to it, until one day her mother bade her think of the poor man who, tired out with his day's work, spent a hard-earned sixpence to see the play, and then went away disappointed, because he could not hear. From that moment everything for her was changed. And the thought of that man at the back of the gallery—what she could do for him, to make him forget his cares and have his part in the sunshine and merriment of life, to take away the frown and to win the smile—was for her, I believe, the true motive and the abiding inspiration of her art. Such a task, one cannot but think, is very much according to the mind of Him who gives the wayside flower a robe that Solomon might envy, that we may see it and be glad. And there are few things, I imagine, that bring so much comfort at the last, when the time has come to retreat from the active work of the world, and to reflect quietly in the gathering dusk upon what has been and what is yet to be, as the thought that one has done something to make others happy, that now and again one has managed to light a lamp or to kindle a fire in a cold and darksome room, that one has done what one could in one's own way to share the burdens of humanity and to minister to its need.

"I need scarcely say that one of the secrets of such a work as this is a heart which, in spite of all that time and circumstance can do, keeps young. The first test of all art is sincerity. It is impossible, I should suppose, to be in any true sense an interpreter of emotions that one has ceased to feel. To represent in any way the vivacity, the buoyancy, the gaiety that belong to youth, its irrepressible humour, its unquenchable hope, is a task that the years make difficult enough for us all. To attempt it successfully is only for those who in themselves have never yet grown old. Lady Bancroft was a lover of young life. She was beloved by all young people who knew her. And one felt in talking to her that, as her voice had kept its magic, so her nature had preserved within a tired body something of its youth.

The secret of success

"The world saw little of her during these latter years. She lived her life in quiet places, among the trees and flowers in which she delighted, within sight and sound of the ever-changing sea. During these spring months her thoughts had dwelt much on that other world and the mysteries that await us there. She spoke of it often, and expressed to me more than once what seemed rather a curious wish—curious because one so rarely meets it—to sit at a table with learned divines, as she called them, and to hear them discuss together the great matters of God and man, life and death, things present and things to come. She had a most intense desire to know better that Power that holds us and shapes our ends. She wanted to see His work more plainly that she might adore Him more perfectly. She longed to discern His will that she might do it with a ready heart. And, as she talked of all this, deep reverence and great wistfulness came into her voice. She wished so much to understand. Well, she has passed through the Valley now. She has climbed above the mists that hang so closely around human life. She has come out into the light—the light that never was on sea or land—before which all the shadows flee away.

"So we think of her, so we give thanks for her to-day. Men differ much in their ideas of success. For myself, there is one definition that I like very much: 'He has achieved success who has lived long, laughed often, and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the affection of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world a little better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy or by a perfect poem or by a saintly soul; who was looking always for the best in others, and was trying always to give the best he had.' So much of that is true of her whom we commemorate. And we follow her now with our earnest prayers into that state of life into which it has pleased God to call her."

After the end many treasured letters came to me about her. One was written by the Queen, and sent to me by hand; my wife for many years had been given the honour of writing direct to Her Majesty.

From all the letters I will only quote a few words written by a friend:

"Your loss is indeed great, and the world is poorer by the loss of a brilliant personality. Nobody has ever given greater pleasure to thousands and thousands than she did. Let me tell you a little incident. The first time you and Lady Bancroft came to us in Belgrave Square was one day when my mother was alive; she died forty years ago, so you will not recollect it. At the time she was very ill, very depressed, and scarcely ever smiled. After you and your wife left, my mother turned to me and said: 'What a wonderful woman! She has made my sad heart like a bright garden.'"

"Mary's Place"

I will end by telling of an episode which occurred on the day the old Prince of Wales's Theatre was launched on its eventful career, which, as it happily chanced, was a success from start to finish. The incidents may have interest for the superstitious and afford amusement to the sceptic. My wife's mother was too nervous to attend the first performance, and a married daughter took her for a country drive to distract her anxious thoughts. They followed the road leading to Willesden, then quite rural. All kinds of subjects were begun, to no purpose; the mother's mind was in the little theatre. "Mary"—my wife was christened Marie, but Mrs. Wilton called her Mary—"has always been so fortunate; she seems to have lived a charmed life, but her luck may desert her now, and I am always wondering and dreaming, Emma, what may be the end of this brave but dangerous enterprise." As the words left the mother's lips a corner in the road was reached, and suddenly their eyes encountered a little block of stone with an inscription upon it let into the wall of a row of humble houses facing them. The inscription was: "Mary's Place, Fortune Gate." It seemed like an answer, a prophecy, and it comforted Mrs. Wilton's anxious wonderings.

Later on, we often drove in that direction, to look at what became known to us as "The Stone of Destiny," and when, more than twenty years afterwards, the story appeared in print, we received a letter informing us that the little row was about to be pulled down to make room for larger and better houses to be built in their place. The letter came from one interested in the property—a Mr. Bennett—who kindly asked if we would accept the "talisman"; and he afterwards left it at our door. The stone was taken by us from one home to another; it is now let into the wall of the mausoleum I built for my wife in Brompton Cemetery, where all that is left of her in this world is at rest and where there is room for me.

INDEX

Abbey, Edwin, pictures, 84

Actors' Benevolent Fund, 65, 212

Adelphi Theatre, 195

Aidé, Hamilton, 24

Ainger, Canon, Master of the Temple, 92, 122

Ainley, Henry, 60

Alabama Conference, 61

Albery, James, Two Roses, 181

Alcester, Lord, nickname, 124; bombardment of Alexandria, 124

Alexander, George, 198; manager of St. James's Theatre, 202

Alexandra, H.M. Queen, 1; at Sandringham, 12; compliment from Lord Fisher, 123

Alexandria, bombardment of, 124

Alfred, King, statue of, 90

Alverstone, Lord, Lord Chief Justice, 64, 174; interest in the drama, 65

Anglesey, Lord, 67

Arabia, the, 130

Arthur, Sir George, biography of Lord Wolseley, 127

Ascot, 120

Ashbourne, Lord, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, 133

Asquith, Rt. Hon. H. H., 136

Balfour, Earl, 91, 121

Ballantine, Serjeant, 70; criminal cases, 71

Bancroft, George, 112, 183

Bancroft, Marie, Lady, character of her acting, 29, 30, 162, 169; testimonial to Sarah Bernhardt, 23; letter from Ouida, 33; voice, 60; letter from Lord Esher, 66; recites in Italian, 93; opens the Scala Theatre, 108; description of The Passing of the Third Floor Back, 115; character, 217; tribute from W. L. Courtney, 218-226; from A. Pinero, 226-232; from Sir J. Forbes-Robertson, 233; acting in Sweethearts, 234-236; work in the War, 237; funeral 237. See Wilton

Bancroft, Sir Squire, date of his birth, 1; attends the Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul's, 5; at Marlborough House, 7; presentation to King Edward VII, 8; meeting with him, 9; at Monte Carlo, 11; readings for hospitals, 12, 62; at Sandringham, 12; knighthood conferred, 13; at Marienbad, 14, 16; predilection for a good sermon, 44; "The Art of Speaking and Reading," 47-50; journey to Bradford, 52; views on cremation, 68; member of the Garrick Club, 78; speech at the Royal Academy Banquet, 80; portrait, 94; retires from the Haymarket Theatre, 118,178; member of the M.C.C., 120; compliment on his age, 124; entertains Sir H. Irving, 183-185; address at the Tercentenary of Shakespeare, 207-210

Barrett, Wilson, 194; The Sign of the Cross, 194

Barrie, Sir James M., The Professor's Love Story, 198

Bartet, Madame, 163

Bathe, Sir Henry de, 130

Bathe, Lady de, 130

Bayard, T. F., 147

Beaconsfield, Earl of, 97

Beaufort, Duke of, 117

Bellew, Rev. J. M., 38, 172

Bennett, Mr., 244

Benson, Sir Frank, knighthood conferred, 207

Beresford, Lord Charles, 124

Bernhardt, Sarah, 21, 30; acting of Fedora, 22; letter from, 23; testimonial to, 23; character of her acting, 24

Birchington, 75

Bird, Dr. George, 139

Boehm, Sir Edgar, statues, 88; death, 89

Booth, Edwin, character of his acting, 166; letter from, 167

Borthwick Sir Algernon, 133. See Glenesk

Boucicault, Dion, 106, 132, 146, 168; London Assurance, 169, 171; Irish plays, 169; The Trial of Effie Deans, 170; How She Loves Him, 170; letters from 171, 172; epitaph, 172

Boyd-Carpenter, A., letter from, 55

Boyd-Carpenter, Dr., Bishop of Ripon, 44; sermons, 45, 51; story of, 46; friendship with the Empress Frederick, 50; date of his birth, 53; entertains the "75's," 54; verses, 54; death, 55

Braddon, Miss, 31; Lady Audley's Secret, 34; number of her novels, 34; method of working, 35. See Maxwell Bradford, 53

Brampton, Lord, 71. See Hawkins

Bridge, Sir Frederick, 41, 96

Brompton Cemetery, 244

Brooke, G. V., 157, 160

Brookfield, Canon, 177

Brookfield, Charles, 177; stories of, 177; joint Examiner of Plays, 178; letter from, 178

Brooks, Shirley, editor of Punch, 111

Brough, Lionel, 7

Brougham, Lord, 58

Browning, Oscar, 142

Browning, Robert, 98

Buller, General Sir Redvers, 129

Buller, Lady Audrey, 129

Burdett-Coutts, Baroness, 40

Burghclere, Lord, 68. See Gardner

Burnand, Sir Frank C., 73, 110; editor of Punch, 111; humour, 111

Burnham, Lord, 12, 134. See Lawson

Burnham, Lady, 130

Burton, Lady, 138

Burton, Sir Richard, 138; portrait of, 78

Butt, Clara, 41

Byron, H. J., 7; Our Boys, 153

Cadenabbia, 140

Calthrop, Dion, 174

Calthrop, Donald, 174

Calthrop, John Clayton, character of his acting, 174. See Clayton

Cambon, M. Paul, 33

Cambridge, H.R.H. Duke of, memorial service, 130

Campbell, Mrs. Patrick, 203, 205, 214

Carlyle, Thomas, statue of, 88

Carr, Comyns, 143; Director of Grosvenor Gallery, 143; witty sayings, 144

Carson, Lord, 133

Carton, Claude, 202; Liberty Hall, 204

Caruso, Signor, 20

Cecil, Arthur, 7, 93; story of, 175

Chambers, Haddon, 202

Chambers, Montagu, 73

Chapel Royal, Whitehall, 44

Chaplin, Lord, 2, 106

Charles I, King, 16

Chelsea Hospital, parade of old pensioners, 6

Choate, J. H., 147; story of, 148

Chorley, Henry Fothergill, 59

Chudleigh, Arthur, at the funeral of Lady Bancroft, 237

Cibber, Colley, 30

Clarence, H.R.H. Duke of, death, 10

Claretie, Jules, director of the Théâtre français, 163

Clarke, Sir Edward, 121

Clay, Cecil, A Pantomime Rehearsal, 144, 197

Clay, Frederic, 94, 96

Clayton, John, 7; character of his acting, 174. See Calthrop Clemenceau, M., 162

Cockburn, Lord Chief Justice, 59; voice, 59; knowledge of languages, 60; president of the Alabama Conference, 61; death, 61

Coghlan, Charles, 7; character of his acting, 173; death, 174

Cohen, Arthur, 70

Collins, Wilkie, 34, 103

Cooper, Miss Gladys, 203

Coquelin, Alexandre, 161, 163

Coquelin, Constant, 22, 161; Cyrano, 135; letter from, 162; tribute to, 163

Corry, Montagu, 121. See Rowton

Corsican Brothers, The, 155, 183, 186

County Fire Office, demolition, 198

Court Theatre, 195

Courtney, W. L., tribute to the memory of Lady Bancroft, 218-226

Coyne, Stirling, 196

Critchett, Sir Anderson, 61

Critchett, George, 104, 182

Criterion Theatre, 211

Cromer, Earl of, 54

Curzon, George, Marquess, 142

Daudet, Alphonse, 22

Davis, Mr., 148

Dead Heart, The, 162, 186-187

Derby, the, 106, 120

Desclée, Aimée, 24; character of her acting, 25; death, 25

Devonshire House, fancy-dress ball at, 122

Dickens, Charles, 34, 35, 156; Christmas Carols, 12; Household Words, 73; opinion of Marie Wilton's acting, 221

Dickens, "Mamie," 59

Dilke, Sir Charles, 68

Diplomacy, 111, 173, 175, 214, 233

Doyle, Dicky, 59

Drury Lane Theatre, 157, 207

Dumas, Alexandre, 22, 25

Duse, Eleanora, 22, 167, 203, 220

Edward VII, H.M. King, date of his birth, 1; at the Prince of Wales's Theatre, 2; illness, 5; attends a Thanksgiving Service, 5; at Chelsea Hospital, 6; entertains actors, 7; stories of, 8-11, 13-16; presented with a cigar box, 8; acts of kindness, 11; at Marienbad, 13, 16; characteristics, 14-16; death, 16

Elgar, Edward, 27

Eliot, George, 34, 35

Ellicott, Bishop, story of, 42

Ellicott, Mrs., 42

Elliott, Rev. W. H., address at the Memorial Service to Lady Bancroft, 238-242

Emery, Winifred, 200, 204

Esher, Lord, Master of the Rolls, 65; letter to Lady Bancroft, 63

Esher, Lady, 66

Eze, 11

Falkland, Lord, 68

Farquhar, Gilbert, 118

Farquhar, Horace, 118

Fechter, Charles, character of his acting, 154-156; death, 156; bust, 156

Fergusson, Sir William, 104

Fife, Earl of, 119

Fildes, Luke, 77

Fisher, Viscount, 54, 122; date of his birth, 16; religious views, 123; compliment to Queen Alexandra, 123

Fisher, Lady, 122

Forbes-Robertson, Sir Johnston, 60; tribute to the memory of Lady Bancroft, 233; at her funeral, 237

Ford, Onslow, 89

Fountains Abbey, 47

Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria, 14

Frederick, Empress, illness, 50; relations with her son, 61

Frith, W. P., 84; pictures, 85

Frohman, Charles, 102

Fun, 108

Gardner, Herbert, 68. See Burghclere

Garrick Club, 78, 102, 103, 154, 156, 184

Garrick, David, 164

Garrick Theatre, 107, 199

Gemmaert, Émile, Carillon, 27

Geneva, 61

George V, H.M. King, 17; at Sandringham, 13

Gilbert, Sir W. S., 94, 107, 168; Bab Ballads, 108; plays, 108; comic operas, 108; humorous sayings, 108-111; Sweethearts, 234-236

Gill, Charles, 75

Gleichen, Count, 90

Glenesk, Lord, 132. See Borthwick

Goldschmidt, Otto, 18

Gordon, General, statue of, 90

Goschen, Sir Edward, 14

Got, Edmond, 22, 161; letter from, 161

Gounod, 96

Grace, W. G., 120; testimonial to, 110

Grain, Corney, 196

Granville, Such, 108

Graves, Charles, lines from, 146

Green, Paddy, 71

Grenfell, Field-Marshal Lord, 54

Grisi, Madame, 20

Grossmith, George, 7, 196

Grossmith, Weedon, 197

Hading, Jane, 30, 203

Hall, Sir Charles, at Sandringham, 12

Hannen, Lord, 66; President of the Divorce Court, 67

Hare, Sir John, 7, 8, 43, 67, 107, 119, 213; portrait, 79; character of his acting, 213-215

Harrison, Frederick, 200

Hawkins, Henry, 71. See Brampton

Hawtrey, Sir Charles, 14, 212

Haymarket Theatre, 8, 117, 199

Healy, Father, story of, 70

Herkomer, Sir Hubert, 85; The Last Muster, 6, 86

Herschell, Baron, Lord Chancellor, 70

Hesse, Prince Louis of, illness, 10

Hicks, Seymour, 195

His Majesty's Theatre, 199

Hodson, Henrietta (Mrs. Labouchere), 139

Holker, Lord Justice, 69

Hood, Tom, 168

Hope, Anthony, 202

Houghton, Lord, 100. See Milnes

Huddleston, Baron, 67; funeral, 68

Ibsen, H., Hedda Gabler, 205

Incubus, The, 191

Inglefield, Admiral Sir Edward, 124

Inglefield, Lady, 125

Irving, Elizabeth, 192

Irving, Sir Henry, 7, 180; banquet to, 64; portraits, 79, 90, 187, 188; statue, 89; at a fancy-dress ball, 122; in Paris, 181; acting in The Bells, 182; entertained at the Garrick Club, 184; gift from Sir S. Bancroft, 187; spends Christmas Day with him, 183; hospitality, 188; tribute to, 189; sons, 190

Irving, H. B., 190

Irving, Laurence, 190; character of his acting, 191

Irving, Laurence (son of H. B. Irving), 192

Isaacs, Sir Rufus, 65

James, David, 7

James, Henry, 101, 203; Order of Merit conferred, 102; death, 102

James, Lord, of Hereford, 67, 68

Jefferson, Joseph, character of his acting, 165; pictures, 165

Jerrold, Douglas, 160; tribute to Shakespeare, 210

Jeune, Francis, 65, 69. See St. Helier

Joachim, J., 60

Johnson, Dr., 87

Jones, Henry Arthur, 109, 202; plays, 198; comedies, 211

Karsavina, 27

Kean, Charles, 74, 156, 160

Keeley, Louise, marriage, 74. See Williams

Keeley, Mrs., 74

Keeley, Robert, 74

Kelvin, Lord, 122

Kemble, Henry, stories of, 176; death, 177

Kendal, Madge, 29, 108, 201, 203. See Robertson

Kendal, William, 7, 153, 198, 201; character of his acting, 202

Key, Philip Barton, 146

Kitchener, Field-Marshal Earl, 126; tribute to, 126

Knobloch, Edward, 237

Knollys, Lord, 7

Labouchere, Henry, 68, 139; stories of, 140; "Letters of a Besieged Resident," 140; Privy Councillor, 141

Langtry, Mrs. portrait, 79

Lascelles, Sir Frank, 54, 55; Ambassador in Berlin, 137

Lawson, Edward, 134. See Burnham

Legault, Maria, 22

Leighton, Lord, President of the Royal Academy, 2; death, 77; remarkable gifts, 77; The Slinger, 78

Lemon, Mark, editor of Punch, 111

Lever, Charles, 102

Lewis, Sir George, 63, 68; tribute to, 64

Lincolnshire, Lord, 7

Lind, Jenny, 18; story of, 18-20; medallion, 20

Lindsay, Sir Coutts, President of the Grosvenor Gallery, 143

Linley, Elizabeth, 125

Lockwood, Sir Frank, 72, 188

Löhr, Marie, 87

Londesborough, Lord, 119; member of the Coaching Club, 120

Londesborough, Lady, 10, 119

London, blizzard, 9; fog, 140

Longfellow, Henry W., story of, 99

Lonsdale, Frederick, 76

Lord Dundreary, 167

Lowell, J. R., 147

Lucas, E. V., 191

Lucy, Sir Henry, 114; appearance, 115

Lucy, Lady, 114

Lyceum Theatre, 149, 166, 182

Lyttelton, Hon. Alfred, 135

Lytton, Bulwer, 32, 34; Money, 66, 173, 212

Macduff, Viscount, 118

Mackenzie, Sir Morell, 202

Macready, General Sir Nevil, 160

Macready, Jonathan, 160

Macready, Major, 160

Macready, W. C., opinion of Salvini's acting, 159; of Marie Wilton's, 219

Malibran, Maria, 20

Marienbad, 13, 16

Mario, G., 20

Marks, Henry Stacey, 86

Marlborough Club, 7

Marlborough House, dinner at, 7

Marshall, Robert, plays, 113

Mary, H.M. Queen, 117, 242; at Sandringham, 13

Mathew, Lord Justice, 70

Mathews, Charles, Public Prosecutor, 75

Mathews, Charles, 149; speech at a banquet, 150; letter from, 151; opinion of Our Boys, 153; character of his acting, 153

Mathews, William, 67, 75

Maude, Cyril, 200

Maurice, Sir Frederick, biography of Lord Wolseley, 127

Maurier, George du, Trilby, 86, 92; drawings in Punch, 91

Maurier, Sir Gerald du, 153; at the funeral of Lady Bancroft, 237

Maxwell, Mrs., 31. See Braddon

Maxwell, W. B., 35

May, Phil, 185

McConnell, W. R., 168

McDonnell, Schomberg or "Pom," 137

Melba, Dame Nellie, 20; story of, 128

Meredith, George, Diana of the Crossways, 125

Merewether, Mr., 67

Meyerbeer, G., 20

Millais, Sir John Everett, 67; President of the Royal Academy, 78; pictures, 78, 79; portraits, 79, 187; landscapes, 79

Milnes, Monckton, 100. See Houghton

Modjeska, Helena, character of her acting, 27

Mohammedan legend, sermon on, 51

Monckton, Lionel, 195

Montague, Henry, character of his acting, 172; death, 173

Monte Carlo, 11, 90

Morley, Rt. Hon. Arnold, Postmaster-General, 68

Morley, Viscount, 68

Morris, Clara, 30

Mounet-Sully, M., 162

Nevill, Lady Dorothy, 35; reminiscences, 36

Nevill, Ralph, 36

Neville, Henry, 7

Nijinsky, 27

Norton, Mrs., 125

O'Connor, Rt. Hon. T. P., 142

Ohnet, Georges, 22

Olivia, 214

Onslow, Lord, 120

Orchardson, Sir W. Q., pictures, 84

Orton, Arthur, claimant in the Tichborne trial, 71

"Ouida," 31; novels, 32; views on female suffrage, 32; letter from, 33. See Ramée

Oxford and Cambridge cricket match, 135

Paderewski, I. J., 20

Page, Dr. W. H., 147

Paris, siege of, 173

Parker, Dr. Joseph, 50

Parker, Louis N., 203

Parnell Commission, 67

Parratt, Sir Walter, 54, 55, 96

Parry, John, 196

Parry, Serjeant, 71

Partridge, Bernard, 186

Passing of the Third Floor Back, The, 115

Patti, Adelina, 20

Peel, Sir Robert, conversion to Free Trade, 125

Pellegrini, Carlo, caricatures, 2, 93; death, 94

Phelps, Mr., 147

Phelps, Samuel, 155, 160

Phillips, Stephen, 203

Piatti, 60

Pickersgill, the engraver, 87

Pierson, Blanche, 22

Pigott, Edward, Reader of Plays, 22

Pinero, Sir Arthur W., 14, 202; Lords and Commons, 177; The Profligate, 199; knighthood conferred, 200; The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, 203-207; The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith, 214; The Gay Lord Quex, 214; tribute to the memory of Lady Bancroft, 226-232; at her funeral, 237

Planché, J. R., The King of the Peacocks, 149

Plat, Sir Charles du, at Sandringham, 12

Plunket, David, 132. See Rathmore

Poe, Edgar Allan, lines from, 74

Pontresina, 95

Poynter, Sir Edward, 188; President of the Royal Academy, 80; pictures, 81

Prince of Wales's Theatre, 2, 101, 117, 213, 227, 243

Prince's, 110

Princess's Theatre, 194

Prinsep, Anthony, 87

Prinsep, Val, 77, 86

Probyn, Sir Dighton, 7, 12

Punch, 59, 91, 110, 145; editors, 111

Queen's Theatre, 139

Ramée, Louise de la, 31. See Ouida

Rathmore, Lord, 132. See Plunket

Reade, Charles, 172; The Cloister and the Hearth, 102; characteristics, 103; Masks and Faces, 225

Regnier, M., 162

Rehan, Ada, 28, 30

Réjane, Madame, character of her acting, 26

Ridge, W. Pett, 75

Ridgeway, Dr., Bishop of Chichester, 54

Ristori, Madame, 157

Rivière, Briton, pictures, 86

Roberts, Field-Marshal Earl, 126

Robertson, Madge, 108, 201. See Kendal

Robertson, T. W., 104; comedies, 1, 101, 105, 217, 224, 227; Ours, 8, 222, 233; Caste, 105, 119, 139, 227; School, 138, 164, 233; Society, 216; death, 217

Robins, Elizabeth, 205

Roebuck, Captain Disney, 73

Rogers, Rev. William, 63

Rothschild, Alfred de, 137

Rowe, Mrs. Jopling, portrait, 79

Rowton, Lord, 121. See Corry

Russell, Charles, Lord Chief Justice, personality, 62; tribute to Sir G. Lewis, 63; story of, 64

Russell, Sir William Howard, 132

St. Helier, Lord, President of the Divorce Court, 69

St. Helier, Lady, 69

St. James's Theatre, 202

St. Paul's Cathedral, Thanksgiving Service, 5

Sala, George Augustus, 106

Salvini, T., character of his acting, 156-159; letter from, 158

Sambourne, Linley, drawings in Punch, 92

Sanderson, Lord, 64

Sandringham, 8, 12; fire at, 10

Sardou, V., Fédora, 22; Odette, 26, 177

Sargent, J. S., portraits, 79, 83, 188

Savoy Theatre, 77, 196

Scala Theatre, 108

School for Scandal, 85, 87, 173

Schumann, Madame, 60

Scott, Clement, 134, 155

Seaman, Sir Owen, editor of Punch, 111

Seymour, Admiral Sir Beauchamp, 124. See Alcester

Shakespeare, W., Hamlet, 155, 158; Othello, 157, 166; Macbeth, 160; Merry Wives of Windsor, 174; Tercentenary, 207; address, 207-210; tribute to, 208

Shaw, Bernard, 194

Sheppard, Canon Edgar, 40, 238

Sheppard, Mrs., 40

Sheridan, Richard Brinsley, 125; School for Scandal, 85, 87, 173; The Rivals, 165

"Sickles Tragedy, The," at Washington, 145-147

Sims, G. R., 205

Sloggett, General Sir Arthur, 237

Somerleyton, Lady, 130

Sothern, Edward Askew, 167; accident, 168; practical jokes, 168; Birds of a Feather, 169

Sothern, Sam, 169

Stanford, Charles, 96

Stanley, Dean, tomb, 88

Stanley, Sir H. M., 138

Stanley, Lady, 138

Stanley, Mrs. John, 69. See St. Helier

Stone, Marcus, 77, 87

Straight, Sir Douglas, 74; popularity, 75

Strettell, Miss, 143

Sullivan, Herbert, 11

Sullivan, Sir Arthur, 59, 94, 108; illness, 11; portrait, 79; personality, 95; funeral, 95

Sutherland, Sir Thomas, Chairman of the P. & O. Co., 137

Sutro, Alfred, 202; compliment to Sir S. Bancroft, 124

Tadema, Alma, 82

Taylor, Tom, editor of Punch, 111

Teck, Duchess of, 6, 117

Teck, Prince Francis of, 116; death, 117

Tennant, Laura, 135

Tenniel, Sir John, cartoons in Punch, 91

Tennyson, Lord, death, 45; Becket, 96

Terriss, William, 214; career, 194; stabbed, 195

Terry, Ellen, 28, 29, 30, 60, 156, 202, 214, 235; on the characteristics of Charles Reade, 102

Terry, Fred, 212

Terry, Kate, 156

Thackeray, W. M., 34, 103; Vanity Fair, 107

Thompson, Sir Henry, 68, 135, 136; portrait, 79

Thornton, C. I., 120

Tichborne trial, 59, 71

Toole, J. L., 7; story of, 192

Tree, Sir Herbert Beerbohm, 14, 119, 198; manager of the Haymarket, 199; characteristics, 200; knighthood conferred, 200

Trollope, Anthony, 102

Vanbrugh, Irene, 169, 214

Vaudeville Theatre, 153

Vaughan, Father Bernard, 43

Vestris, Madame, 149

Vezin, Hermann, 7

Victoria, H.M. Queen, attends a Thanksgiving Service, 5; Jubilee, 5; gift to Sir S. Bancroft, 13; voice, 60; Empress of India, 87

Wace, Dr., Dean of Canterbury, 66

Wace, Mrs., 56

Wales, Oliver, 8

Wallace, Sir Donald Mackenzie, 54, 55

Waller, Lewis, 198, 199

Ward, Barbara, 94

Ward, Leslie, 94

Washington, "The Sickles Tragedy" at, 145

Webb, Sir Aston, President of the Royal Academy, 82

Webster, Richard, 64. See Alverstone

Wellington, Duke of, statue, 88

Wertheimer, Mr., portrait, 79

Westminster Abbey, Jubilee Thanksgiving, 5

Wharncliffe, Lord, 11

Whistler, James McNeill, 90

White, Field-Marshal Sir George, Governor of Gibraltar, 130

White, Lady, 130

White, Rev. Henry, Chaplain of the Chapel Royal, 39

Wigan, Alfred, 73

Wilberforce, Archdeacon, 41; love of animals, 42

Wilberforce, Mrs., 41

Wilde, Oscar, 203; plays, 112

Willard, E. S., 198

William II, ex-German Emperor, treatment of his mother, 51

William IV, King, 15

Williams, Louise, 74. See Keeley

Williams, Montagu, 72; career, 73; The Isle of St. Tropez, 73; criminal cases, 73; marriage, 74

Wilson, Sir Rivers, 137

Wilton, Marie, 219. See Bancroft

Wilton, Mrs., story of, 243

Wolseley, Field-Marshal Viscount, 126; career, 127; story of, 128

Wood, Field-Marshal Sir Evelyn, 129

Wood, Mrs. John, 29, 174

Wyndham, Sir Charles, 7, 153, 177, 210; character of his acting, 211; President of the Actors' Benevolent Fund, 212

Wyndham, Lady, 212

Yates, Edmund, 103, 106, 172; death, 107