The Silver Shield Part 26

DR. (_rises; looks at d.i.c.k, who turns away_) These interruptions are distracting. (_sits_)

MRS. D. (_wakes_) Silence! (_goes to sleep again_)

SIR H. Please go on.

ALMA. He is at work upon a play, in which a faithless lover is a leading character.

NED. That is _my_ play!

d.i.c.k. Of course it is! I knew Blake couldn't be original.

ALMA. The lover writes to tell his second love how much better he likes her than his first, and the sheet of paper on which the letter is written, the author, in the old untidy way, leaves lying about the house.

d.i.c.k. It's all been done! Wife finds the letter--thinks it's genuine--and leaves home to slow music.

ALMA. End of Act the first.

d.i.c.k. (_rises_) And a nice fine old crusted situation that is to ring down on.

DR. (_rises_) It is a drawback to interpolations that they interrupt the argument and distract the attention. (_business with d.i.c.k repeat; sits_)

SIR H. Never mind Mr. d.i.c.k. Come to the second act. (_NED listens eagerly_)

ALMA. The wife goes on the stage.

d.i.c.k. What manager would take her?

ALMA. Probably some old curmudgeon who'd just refused his leading lady a few pounds. (_d.i.c.k turns from her; meets DR. DOZEY looking at him on the other side, then back again_)

d.i.c.k. Go on--go on--we're waiting.

ALMA. Well, in course of time, a certain part is given her; and in the part she finds the letter she'd misunderstood.

TOM. It is her husband's play!

NED. (_much excited_) _My_ play!

SIR H. Yours! (_beginning to understand_)

ALMA. (_rises_) Act the third. (_turns to SUSAN_) Prompter, you'd better call the heroine. (_rises. SUSAN opens door, R._)

NED. (_rising_) Go on!

ALMA. One day she meets a certain actress----

NED. You!

ALMA. Who lives in the same house----

d.i.c.k. (_rises; gets down, R.C._) Hallo! here's something new.

ALMA. Who knows her husband, and who tells the story. He stands aghast--his wife is at the door--they are about to meet--she only waits her cue. Her cue is her own name. Her name is---- (_SUSAN signals to LUCY, R.C._)

NED. Lucy! (_rushes to meet her_)

_Re-enter LUCY, R.C._

LUCY. Ned! (_running into his arms; all rise except MRS. DOZEY_)

ALMA. Tableau!

d.i.c.k. (_as if signalling the flies_) Ring!

ALMA. Curtain!

CURTAIN.

Transcriber's Note

This transcription is based on scanned images posted by Google from a copy from the Harvard library:

nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.FIG:002663452

Note that the Google scans are included in a set of four Sydney Grundy plays published by Samuel French posted under the t.i.tle of the first play in the set, _A Fool's Paradise._ Based on how the Harvard Library catalogs the individual copies, I a.s.sume Google combined the different scans into a single doc.u.ment. _The Silver s.h.i.+eld_ is the fourth play in the set.

French's Acting Editions from the nineteenth century tend to have minor editorial inconsistencies and errors as well as errors introduced in the printing process, depending on the condition and inking of the plates. Thus, for example, it is at times difficult to determine whether a certain letter is an "c," "e," or "o" or whether a certain punctuation mark is a period or a comma. Where context made the choice obvious, the obvious reading was given the benefit of the doubt without comment.

The following changes were noted:

- Throughout the text, all instances of "and" between character names in stage directions are consistently italicized and in lower case.

- Throughout the text, all instances of "L.C." and "R.C." have been made consistent so that there is no s.p.a.ce between them.

- Throughout the text, the use of dashes has been made consistent.

- p. 3: Can't you see the likeness--Added a question mark to the end of the sentence.

- p. 5: ...to bear the purring cat...--Changed "bear" to "hear".

- p. 9: (_arranges hersel before the gla.s.s_)--Changed "hersel" to "herself".

- p. 9: graually gets round, and down--Changed "graually" to "gradually".

- p. 12: Scrubbs is the man for skies, --Changed comma after "skies"

to a period.

- p. 13: What nonsense I never met you...--Added an exclamation mark after "nonsense".