This incident somewhat marred the Harmony of the Ending, because to seeLadies and Gentlemen struggling and scrambling to climb from bench tobench under a Deluge of Rain, was in truth a very droll Spectacle; andthe attention of those in the Boxes was divided between the Happeningson the Stage and the antics of the rest of the Audience.
You and I, fair Mistress, up aloft in our humble place, were far bettersheltered than the more grand Folk in the Pit. I put your Cloak aroundyour Shoulders to protect You against the Cold, and thus sitting closetogether, my knee still resting against yours, we watched thePerformance until the end.
5
How we went home that afternoon I do not remember. I know that it wasraining heavily and that we got very wet. But this caused me noInconvenience, because it gave me the privilege of placing my Arm roundyour Shoulders so as to keep your Cloak from falling. Also my Mind wastoo full of what I had seen to heed the paltry discomfort of a Wetting.My thoughts were of the Play, the Music, the brilliant Assembly; yours,Mistress, were of Mr. Betterton. Of him you prattled all the way home,to the exclusion of every other Topic. And if your enthusiastic Eulogyof that talented Person did at times send a pang of Sorrow through myHeart, You at least were unaware of my Trouble. Not that I took noshare in your Enthusiasm. I did it whole-heartedly. Never had Iadmired a Man before as I did Mr. Betterton on that Day. His Presencewas commanding, his Face striking, his Voice at times masterful and fullof Power, at others infinitely sweet. My officious and talkativeNeighbour, just before the Rain came down and rendered him dumb, hadremarked to me with a great air of Knowledge and of Finality: "Mark myword, young Sir, England will hear something presently of TommyBetterton."
It was not until we reached the corner of Chancery Lane that we wereforced to descend to the Realities of Life. We had had a glorious Day,and for many Hours had wholly forgotten the many Annoyances andDiscomforts with which our lives were beset. Now we were a little tiredand exceedingly wet. Mistress Euphrosine's Scoldings, our oft emptystomachs, hard Beds and cheerless Lives loomed once more largely uponthe Horizon of our mental vision.
Our Pace began to slacken; your glib Tongue was stilled. Holding Handsnow, we hurried home in silence, our Minds stirred by a still vagueSense of Fear.
Nor was that Fear unjustified, alas! as subsequent Events proved. Nosooner had We entered the House than We knew that We were discovered.Mr. Baggs' cloak, hung up in the Hall, revealed the terrifying Fact thathe and his indomitable Spouse had unaccountably returned at this hour.No doubt that the Weather was the primary cause of this untoward Event:its immediate result was a Volley of abuse poured upon our Heads byMistress Euphrosine's eloquent Tongue. We were Reprobates, Spawns andChildren of the Devil! We were Liars and Cheats and Thieves! We haddeserved God's wrath and eternal punishment! Heavens above! how she didtalk! And we, alas! could not escape that vituperative Torrent.
We had fled into the Kitchen as soon as We had realised that we werefairly caught; but Mistress Euphrosine had followed us thither and hadclosed the door behind her. And now, standing facing Us, her large,gaunt Body barring every egress, she talked and talked until You, fairMistress, gave way to a passionate Flood of tears.
All our Pleasure, our Joy, had vanished; driven hence by the vixenishTongue of a soured Harridan. I was beside myself with Rage. But foryour restraining influence, I could have struck that shrieking Virago,and for ever after have destroyed what was the very Essence of my Life.For she would have turned me out of Doors then and there, and I shouldhave been driven forth from your Presence, perhaps never to return.
The sight of your Patience and of your Goodness helped to deaden myWrath. I hung my Head and bit my Tongue lest it should betray me intosaying things which I should have regretted to the end of my Days.
And thus that memorable Day came to a close. Somehow, it stands beforemy mind as would the first legible Page in the Book of my Life. Beforeit, everything was blurred; but that Page is clear. I can read it now,even after four years. For the first time, destiny had writ on it twoNames in bold, indelible Characters--yours, Mistress, and that of Mr.Betterton. Henceforth, not a Day in my Life would pass without one ofYou looming largely in its Scheme.
Mary Saunderson! Tom Betterton! My very pulses seem to beat to thetune of those two Names! I knew then, by one of those subtle intuitionswhich no Man has ever succeeded in comprehending, that Heaven itself hadintended You for one another. How then could I stand by and see theWickedness of Man striving to interfere with the decrees of God?
CHAPTER II
THE RIFT WITHIN THE LUTE
1
After that memorable Day, Mistress, we were like naughty Children whowere being punished for playing truant out of School. For Weeks andMonths our Lives went on with dreary monotony, with never a chance ofseeing Something of that outside World of which we had caught a glimpse.You continued to sew and to scrub and to be at the beck and call of aScold. I went on copying legal Documents till my very Brain appearedatrophied, incapable of a single happy Thought or of a joyous Hope.
Out there in the great World, many things were happening. The LordProtector died; his Son succeeded. And then England woke to the factthat she had never cared for these Regicides, Republicans and Puritans;that in her Heart she had always loved the martyred King and longed toset his Son once more upon his Throne.
I often thought of my loquacious Neighbour at the Play, with his talk ofOld Noll and Master Richard and of George. For George Monk in truth hadbecome the Man of the hour; for he it was who was bringing King Charlesback into his Kingdom again.
Two years had gone by since our memorable Day at the Play, and as thatsame Neighbour had also foretold, England was hearing a great deal aboutTom Betterton. His Name was on every one's lips. Mr. Rhodes, theBookseller, had obtained a licence from General Monk to get a Company ofActors together, and the palmy Days of the Cockpit had begun. Then itwas that some faint Echo of the Life of our great City penetrated as faras the dull Purlieus of Mr. Baggs' Household; then it was that the ringof the Fame of Mr. Betterton even caused Mistress Euphrosine to recallher former arbitrary Judgments.
Every one now was talking of her illustrious Brother. General Monkhimself had made a Friend of him, so had Sir John Grenville, who was theKing's own Envoy; and those who were in the know prophesied that HisMajesty Himself would presently honour the eminent Player with hisregard. My Lord Rochester was his intimate Friend; Sir George Etheregewas scarce ever seen in public without him. Lord Broghill had vowedthat the English Stage was made famous throughout the Continent ofEurope by the superlative excellence of Mr. Betterton.
To such Eulogies, coming from the most exalted Personages in the Land,Mistress Euphrosine could not turn an altogether deaf Ear; and being aWoman of character and ambition, she soon realised that her Antagonismto her illustrious Brother not only rendered her ridiculous, but mighteven prove a bar to Mr. Theophilus Baggs' Advancement.
The first Step towards a Reconciliation was taken when Mr. Baggs and hisSpouse went together to the Play to see Mr. Betterton act _Solyman_ in aplay called "The Siege of Rhodes." You and I, Mistress, were by greatfavour allowed to go too, and to take our places in that same Gallerywhere two Years previously You and I had spent such happy hours. Wespoke little to one another, I remember. Our hearts were full ofMemories; but I could see your brown Eyes lighten as soon as the eminentActor walked upon the Stage. The same Glamour which his personality hadthrown over You two years ago was still there. Nay! it was enhanced anhundredfold, for to the magnetic presence of the Man was now added thesupreme Magic of the Artist. I am too humble a Scrivener, fair Lady, toattempt to describe Mr. Betterton's acting, nor do I think that such Artas his could be adequately discussed. Your enjoyment of it I did fullyshare. You devoured him with your Eyes while he was on the Stage, andthe Charm of his Voice filled the crowded Theatre and silenced everyothe
r sound. I knew that the World had ceased to exist for You and thatthe mysterious and elusive god of Love had hit your Heart with hiswayward dart.
I thank God that neither then nor later did any feeling of Bitternessenter into my Soul. Sad I was, but of a gentle Sadness which made mefeel mine own Unworthiness, even whilst I prayed that You might realiseyour Heart's desire.
Strangely enough, it was at the very moment when I first understood thestate of your Feelings that mine eyes, a little dimmed with tears, werearrested by the Sight of a young and beautiful Lady, who sat in one ofthe Boxes, not very far from our point of vantage. I wondered then whatit was about her that thus enchained mine Attention. Of a truth, shewas singularly fair, of that dainty and translucent Fairness which I forone have never been able to admire, but which is wont to set Men'spulses beating with an added quickness--at least, so I've heard it said.The Lady had blue Eyes, an exquisitely white Skin, her golden Hair wasdressed in the new modish Fashion, with quaint little Ringlets allaround her low, square Brow. The face was that of a Child, yet therewas something about the firm Chin, something about the Forehead and theset of the Lips which spoke of Character and of Strength not often foundin one so young.
Immediately behind her sat a young Cavalier of prepossessing Appearance,who obviously was whispering pleasing Words in the Lady's shell-likeear. I confess that for the moment I longed for the presence of ourloquacious Neighbour of two years ago. He, without doubt, would haveknown who the noble young Lady was and who was her attentive Cavalier.Soon, however, the progress of the Play once more riveted mine Attentionupon the Stage, and I forgot all about the beautiful Lady until it wastime to go. Then I sought her with mine Eyes; but she had already gone.And I, whilst privileged to arrange your Cloak around your shoulders,realised how much more attractive brown Hair was than fair, and howbrilliant could be the sparkle of dark Eyes as against the morelanguorous expression of those that are blue.
2
I was not present at the time that You, Mistress, first made theacquaintance of Mr. Betterton. He came to the House originally for thesole purpose of consulting with his Brother-in-law on a point of Law, hehaving an idea of joining Sir William Davenant in the Management of thenew Theatre which that Gentleman was about to open in Lincoln's InnFields.
The season in London promised to be very brilliant. His Majesty theKing was coming into his own once more. Within a Month or two at thelatest, he would land at Dover, and as even through his misfortunes andexile he had always been a great Patron of the Arts of Drama andLiterature, there was no doubt that he would give his gracious Patronageto such enterprises as Sir William Davenant and Mr. Killigrew, not tomention others, had already in view.
No doubt that Sir William Davenant felt that no Company of Actors couldbe really complete without the leadership of Mr. Betterton; and we allknew that both he and Mr. Killigrew were literally fighting one anotherto obtain the great Actor's services.
In the end, of course, it was Sir William who won, and thus Mr.Betterton came to visit Mr. Theophilus Baggs to arrange for an Indenturewhereby he was to have a Share of the Profits derived from thePerformances at the new Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields.
You, Mistress, will remember that Day even better than I do, for to meit only marked one more Stage on the dreary road of my uneventful Life,whilst for You it meant the first Pearl in that jewelled Crown ofHappiness which Destiny hath fashioned for You. Mr. Baggs had sent meon that day to Richmond, to see a Client of his there. Whether he didthis purposely, at the instance of Mistress Euphrosine, in order to getme out of the way, I know not. In her Estimation I was supposed to haveleanings for the Actor's profession in those days--surely a foolishSupposition, seeing how unprepossessing was my Appearance and howmediocre my Intellect.
Without doubt, however, could she have read the Secrets of your Soul,dear Mistress, she would have sent You on an errand too, to a remotecorner of England, or had locked You up in your Room, ere you came faceto face with the great Man whose Personality and Visage were alreadydeeply graven upon your Heart.
But her futile, unamiable Mind was even then torn between the desire tomake a brave show of Prosperity before her illustrious Brother and towelcome him as the Friend and Companion of great Gentlemen, and the oldpuritanical Spirit within her which still looked upon Actors as Roguesand Vagabonds, Men upon whom God would shower some very special,altogether terrible Curses because of their loose and immoral Lives.
Thus Mistress Euphrosine's treatment of the distinguished Actor was evercontradictory. She did her best to make him feel that she despised himfor his Calling, yet nevertheless she fawned upon him because of hisconnection with the Aristocracy. Even subsequently, when Mr. Bettertonenjoyed not only the Patronage but the actual Friendship of His Majestythe King, Mistress Euphrosine's attitude towards him was always one ofpious scorn. He might be enjoying the protection of an earthly King,but what was that in comparison with his Sister's intimacy with God? Hemight consort with Dukes, but she would anon make one in a company ofAngels, amongst whom such Reprobates as Actors would never find a place.
That, I think, was her chief Attitude of Mind, one that caused me muchIndignation at the time; for I felt that I could have knelt down andworshipped the heaven-born Genius who was delighting the whole Kingdomwith his Art. But Mr. Betterton, with his habitual kindliness and goodhumour, paid no heed to Mistress Euphrosine's sour Disposition towardshim, and when she tried to wither him with lofty Speeches, he wouldquickly make her ridiculous with witty Repartee.
He came more and more frequently to the House, and mine Eyes beingunusually sharp in such matters, I soon saw that You had wholly won hisregard. Those then became happy times. Happy ones for You, Mistress,whose Love for a great and good Man was finding full Reciprocity. Happyones for him, who in You had found not only a loving Heart, but rareunderstanding, and that great Talent which he then and there set himselfto develop. They were happy times also for me, the poor, obscureScrivener with the starved Heart and the dreary Life, who now wasallowed to warm his Soul in the Sunshine of your joint Happiness.
It was not long before Mr. Betterton noticed the profound Admirationwhich I had for him, not long before he admitted me to his Friendshipand Intimacy. I say it with utmost pride, that I was the first one withwhom he discussed the question of your Career and to whom he confidedthe fact that You had a conspicuous talent for the Stage, and that heintended to teach and to train You until You could appear with him onthe Boards. You may imagine how this Idea staggered me at first--aye!and horrified me a little. I suppose that something of the oldpuritanical middle-class Prejudice had eaten so deeply into my Soul thatI could not be reconciled to the idea of seeing any Woman--least of allyou, Mistress--acting a part upon the Stage. Hitherto, young Mr.Kynaston and other boy-actors had represented with perfect grace andcharm all the parts which have been written for Women; and I could notpicture to myself any respectable Female allowing herself to be kissedor embraced in full view of a large Audience, or speaking some of thoseLines which our great Dramatists have thought proper to write.
But Mr. Betterton's Influence and his unanswerable Arguments soon gotthe better of those old-fashioned Ideas, and anon I found myself lookingeagerly forward to the happy time when You would be freed from thetrammels of Mistress Euphrosine's Tyranny and, as the Wife and Helpmateof the greatest Actor of our times, take your place beside him among theImmortals.
3
It was not until the spring of the following Year that I first noticedthe cloud which was gathering over your happiness. Never shall I forgetthe day when first I saw Tears in your Eyes.
You had finally decided by then to adopt the Stage as your Profession,and at the instance of Mr. Betterton, Sir William Davenant had promisedYou a small part in the new Play, wherewith he was about to open his newTheatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. The piece chosen was called "Othello,"written by one William Shakespeare, and Sir William had finally decide
dthat the parts written in this Play by the Author for Women should beenacted by Women; an arrangement which was even then being worked quitesuccessfully by Mr. Killigrew at his Theatre in Clare Market.
I knew that a brilliant Future lay before You; but Mistress Euphrosine,who had constituted herself your Guardian and Mentor, tried in vain toturn You from your Career. The day when You made your Decision was yetanother of those momentous ones which will never fade from my Memory.You had hitherto been clever enough to evade Mistress Euphrosine'sVigilance whilst you studied the Art of speaking and acting under theguidance of Mr. Betterton. She thought that his frequent Visits to theHouse were due to his Regard for her, whereas he came only to see Youand to be of service to You in the pursuit of your Studies.
But the time came when You had to avow openly what were your Intentionswith regard to the Future. Sir William Davenant's Theatre in Lincoln'sInn Fields was to be opened in June, and You, Mistress, were, togetherwith his principal Actresses, to be boarded after that by him at his ownHouse, in accordance with one of the Provisions of the Agreement. TheQuestion arose as to where You should lodge, your poor Mother having nohome to offer You. Mistress Euphrosine made a great Show of herAbhorrence of the Stage and all the Immorality which such a Careerimplied. My cheeks blush with shame even now at the recollection of theabominable language which she used when first You told her what Youmeant to do, and my Heart is still filled with admiration at yourPatience and Forbearance with her under such trying circumstances.