CHAPTER VIII

The Three Publics--The Disappearance of Burlesque and Decadence of Pantomime--Increasing Vogue of Farce and Melodrama-- Improvement in Acting--The Influence of our French Actors--The "Old" Critics and the "New"--James Mortimer and his Two "Almavivas"--Mr. William Archer's Ideas and Role--The Vicissitudes of Adaptation 193