Part 13
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 {236} 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:
"'Tis like the milky way i' the sky, A meeting of gentle lights without a name!"
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.
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[Sidenote: 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 {238} 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.
[Sidenote: 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 {239} 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 {240} 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.
[Sidenote: 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 {241} 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 {242} 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.'"
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[Sidenote: "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.
{244}
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.
{245}
INDEX
NDX 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