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  A GENTLEMAN PLAYER

  Works of

  ROBERT NEILSON STEPHENS

 

  An Enemy to the King (Twentieth Thousand)

  The Continental Dragoon (Seventeenth Thousand)

  The Road to Paris (Sixteenth Thousand)

  A Gentleman Player (Sixth Thousand)

 

  L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY, Publishers (Incorporated) 196 Summer St., Boston, Mass.

  QUEEN ELIZABETH AND HARRY MARRYOTT.] (_See Page 87._)

  A GENTLEMAN PLAYER

  His Adventures on a Secret Mission for Queen Elizabeth

  BY

  ROBERT NEILSON STEPHENS

  AUTHOR OF "AN ENEMY TO THE KING," "THE CONTINENTAL DRAGOON," "THE ROAD TO PARIS," ETC.

  "And each man in his time plays many parts." --_As You Like It._

 

  BOSTON L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY (INCORPORATED) 1899

  _Copyright, 1899_ BY L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY (INCORPORATED) 1899

  Colonial Press: Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. Boston, Mass., U. S. A.

  CONTENTS.

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I. THE FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "HAMLET" 11

  II. AT THE TAVERNS 36

  III. QUEEN AND WOMAN 69

  IV. THE UNEXPECTED 93

  V. THE PLAYER PROVES HIMSELF A GENTLEMAN 104

  VI. AND THE GENTLEMAN PROVES HIMSELF A PLAYER 116

  VII. MISTRESS ANNE HAZLEHURST 129

  VIII. "A DEVIL OF A WOMAN" 137

  IX. THE FIRST DAY OF THE FLIGHT 152

  X. THE LOCKED DOOR 174

  XI. WINE AND SONG 184

  XII. THE CONSTABLE OF CLOWN 199

  XIII. THE PRISONER IN THE COACH 220

  XIV. HOW THE PAGE WALKED IN HIS SLEEP 233

  XV. TREACHERY 251

  XVI. FOXBY HALL 276

  XVII. A WOMAN'S VICTORY 295

  XVIII. THE HORSEMEN ARRIVE 309

  XIX. THE HORSEMEN DEPART 320

  XX. ROGER BARNET SITS DOWN TO SMOKE SOME TOBACCO 332

  XXI. ROGER BARNET CONTINUES TO SMOKE TOBACCO 342

  XXII. SPEECH WITHOUT WORDS 360

  XXIII. THE LONDON ROAD 368

  XXIV. HOW A NEW INCIDENT WAS ADDED TO AN OLD PLAY 375

  XXV. SIR HARRY AND LADY MARRYOTT 398

  NOTES 409