"I think," he said slowly, "that every man has an instinctive feeling

sometime in his life that he is a small part of a great plan that is
working somehow towards the light
"I think," he said slowly, "that every man has an instinctive feeling
sometime in his life that he is a small part of a great plan that is
working somehow towards the light."

Of the abuse of coincidence, I have already given a specimen in speaking

of _The Rise of Dick Halward_ (Chapter XII)
Of the abuse of coincidence, I have already given a specimen in speaking
of _The Rise of Dick Halward_ (Chapter XII). One or two more examples
may not be out of place. I need not dwell on the significance of the
fact that most of them occur in forgotten plays.

"Werry good, sir," said the groom, with an air of resignation

"Werry good, sir," said the groom, with an air of resignation. His
contempt for maps and their unintelligibility was deep-rooted, but if his
young master thought he could locate a river with one, he would keep an
open mind on the subject until it had, at least, been given a fair trial.

At breakfast that morning we were served for the first time with the

native dish of 'Poi,' a pink-colored mush that, to be appreciated, must
be eaten in the native manner, the people to the manner born plunging a
forefinger into the dish, giving it a peculiar twist that causes it to
cling, and then depositing it between the lips, where the 'Poi' remains
and the finger is again ready to seek the dish
At breakfast that morning we were served for the first time with the
native dish of 'Poi,' a pink-colored mush that, to be appreciated, must
be eaten in the native manner, the people to the manner born plunging a
forefinger into the dish, giving it a peculiar twist that causes it to
cling, and then depositing it between the lips, where the 'Poi' remains
and the finger is again ready to seek the dish. In eating in such a
fashion Frank Flint would have had away the best of it, and, as it was,
I noticed both then and afterward that men like Williamson, Ward and
others, who boasted of a base-ball finger, managed to get away with
something more than their share of the delicacy.

Rollo and Lucy hesitated a little, but they concluded to take their

mother"s advice at last, and went to Rollo"s little library, and chose a
book, and then went down to the back entry, and sat down there, on a
long cricket, and began to read
Rollo and Lucy hesitated a little, but they concluded to take their
mother"s advice at last, and went to Rollo"s little library, and chose a
book, and then went down to the back entry, and sat down there, on a
long cricket, and began to read.

She took his proffered hand, and then, obeying an impulse, stooped and

pressed her burning cheek against it
She took his proffered hand, and then, obeying an impulse, stooped and
pressed her burning cheek against it. "Good-night, Horace," she said
softly. "I hope you"ll come back safe to be a fine husband for some nice
girl."

For twenty-six years he has been playing base-ball with prominent clubs

throughout the country, twenty-two years of this time being spent with
the club which just disposed of his services
For twenty-six years he has been playing base-ball with prominent clubs
throughout the country, twenty-two years of this time being spent with
the club which just disposed of his services. Five different times he
brought his club out at the close of the season as a pennant winner, a
record which has not yet been equaled by any manager. Besides being a
bright star in the ball-playing constellation, Anson was an expert at
cricket, hand-ball, billiards and shooting.

The little coon did not prove to be much of a mascot for Chicago that

afternoon, as the All-Americans dropped to Ryan"s slow left-handed
delivery after the fifth inning, he having been a puzzle to them up to
that time, and pounded him all over the field, they finally winning by a
score of 12 to 2
The little coon did not prove to be much of a mascot for Chicago that
afternoon, as the All-Americans dropped to Ryan"s slow left-handed
delivery after the fifth inning, he having been a puzzle to them up to
that time, and pounded him all over the field, they finally winning by a
score of 12 to 2. The heavy batting pleased the Omaha people, however,
and they cheered the All-Americans again and again.

A famous peripety of the romantic order occurs in _H

A famous peripety of the romantic order occurs in _H.M.S. Pinafore_,
where, on the discovery that Captain Corcoran and Ralph Rackstraw have
been changed at birth, Ralph instantly becomes captain of the ship,
while the captain declines into an able-bodied seaman. This is one of
the instances in which the idealism of art ekes out the imperfections
of reality.

Isn"t the devil going to get any dinner to-day? I have had all I want

of sinners
Isn"t the devil going to get any dinner to-day? I have had all I want
of sinners. I am surfeited with them. I should like to have something
more appetizing now.

Look you, not swiftly puts a fleet to sea,

Nor swiftly to its moorings; long it is
Or e"er the saving cables to the shore
Are borne, and long or e"er the steersmen cry,
_The good ship swings at anchor--all is well_
Look you, not swiftly puts a fleet to sea,
Nor swiftly to its moorings; long it is
Or e"er the saving cables to the shore
Are borne, and long or e"er the steersmen cry,
_The good ship swings at anchor--all is well_.
Longest of all, the task to come aland
Where haven there is none, when sunset fades
In night. _To pilot wise_, the adage saith,
_Night is a day of wakefulness and pain_.
Therefore no force of weaponed men, as yet
Scatheless can come ashore, before the bank
Lie at her anchorage securely moored.
Bethink thee therefore, nor in panic leave
The shrine of gods whose succour thou hast won
I go for aid--men shall not blame me long,
Old, but with youth at heart and on my tongue
[_Exit_ DANAUS.

Now it happened that, all this time, Rollo"s mother was sitting in a

little bedroom, which had a door opening into the entry where Lucy and
Rollo had been reading, and she heard all the conversation
Now it happened that, all this time, Rollo"s mother was sitting in a
little bedroom, which had a door opening into the entry where Lucy and
Rollo had been reading, and she heard all the conversation. She knew
that though Rollo was generally a good boy, and was willing to know his
faults, and often endeavored to correct them, still that he was, like
all other boys, prone to selfishness and to vanity, and she thought that
she must take some way to show him clearly what the truth really was,
about his disinterestedness.

Yea, I have pondered: from the sea of doubt

Here drives at length the bark of thought ashore;
Landward with screw and windlass haled, and firm,
Clamped to her props, she lies
Yea, I have pondered: from the sea of doubt
Here drives at length the bark of thought ashore;
Landward with screw and windlass haled, and firm,
Clamped to her props, she lies. The need is stern;
With men or gods a mighty strife we strive
Perforce, and either hap in grief concludes.
For, if a house be sacked, new wealth for old
Not hard it is to win--if Zeus the lord
Of treasure favour--more than quits the loss,
Enough to pile the store of wealth full high;
Or if a tongue shoot forth untimely speech,
Bitter and strong to goad a man to wrath,
Soft words there be to soothe that wrath away:
But what device shall make the war of kin
Bloodless? that woe, the blood of many beasts,
And victims manifold to many gods,
Alone can cure. Right glad I were to shun
This strife, and am more fain of ignorance
Than of the wisdom of a woe endured.
The gods send better than my soul foretells!

Acts, then, mark the time-stages in the development of a given crisis;

and each act ought to embody a minor crisis of its own, with a
culmination and a temporary solution
Acts, then, mark the time-stages in the development of a given crisis;
and each act ought to embody a minor crisis of its own, with a
culmination and a temporary solution. It would be no gain, but a loss,
if a whole two hours" or three hours" action could be carried through in
one continuous movement, with no relaxation of the strain upon the
attention of the audience, and without a single point at which the
spectator might review what was past and anticipate what was to come.
The act-division positively enhances the amount of pleasurable emotion
through which the audience passes. Each act ought to stimulate and
temporarily satisfy an interest of its own, while definitely advancing
the main action. The psychological principle is evident enough; namely,
that there is more sensation to be got out of three or four
comparatively brief experiences, suited to our powers of perception,
than out of one protracted experience, forced on us without relief,
without contrast, in such a way as to fatigue and deaden our faculties.
Who would not rather drink three, four, or five glasses of wine than put
the bottle to his lips and let its contents pour down his throat in one
long draught? Who would not rather see a stained-glass window broken
into three, four, or five cunningly-proportioned 'lights,' than a great
flat sheet of coloured glass, be its design never so effective?

_[The song and dance grow ever jollier

_[The song and dance grow ever jollier. Man rises slowly and begins
to dance lightly on the spot where he is standing; then he seizes his
Wife and dances with her. The oak wreath slips to one side. Someone
in Gray looks on indifferently, the candle burning brightly in his
petrified hand._

Selwyn nodded and smoked in silence

Selwyn nodded and smoked in silence. He was rather glad to have run into
the garrulous groom. The steady stream of inelegant English helped to
ease the torture of his mind.

In Mr

In Mr. Alfred Sutro"s play _The Builder of Bridges_, Dorothy Faringay,
in her devotion to her forger brother, has conceived the rather
disgraceful scheme of making one of his official superiors fall in love
with her, in order to induce him to become practically an accomplice in
her brother"s crime. She succeeds beyond her hopes. Edward Thursfield
does fall in love with her, and, at a great sacrifice, replaces the
money the brother has stolen. But, in a very powerful peripety-scene in
the third act, Thursfield learns that Dorothy has been deliberately
beguiling him, while in fact she was engaged to another man. The truth
is, however, that she has really come to love Thursfield passionately,
and has broken her engagement with the other, for whom she never truly
cared. So the author tells us, and so we are willing enough to
believe--if he can devise any adequate method of making Thursfield
believe it. Mr. Sutro"s handling of the difficulty seems to me fairly,
but not conspicuously, successful. I cite the case as a typical instance
of the problem, apart from the merits or demerits of the solution.

The darkest hour comes just before the dawn, however, and the following

year saw a change for the better in base-ball prospects
The darkest hour comes just before the dawn, however, and the following
year saw a change for the better in base-ball prospects.

Richter had come to the meeting firmly convinced that the office of

Secretary-Treasurer was to be his for the asking, and he was decidedly
put out when turned down, and was disposed to be decidedly ugly
Richter had come to the meeting firmly convinced that the office of
Secretary-Treasurer was to be his for the asking, and he was decidedly
put out when turned down, and was disposed to be decidedly ugly. That he
had not gotten over it for some time afterward was shown by the attitude
of his paper, which indulged in indiscriminate abuse of every one who
failed to agree with him.

Before returning again to the ball field, on which the greater portion

of my life has been spent, I wish to record the fact that all that I
have and all that I have earned in the way both of money and reputation
in later years I owe not to myself, but to Mrs
Before returning again to the ball field, on which the greater portion
of my life has been spent, I wish to record the fact that all that I
have and all that I have earned in the way both of money and reputation
in later years I owe not to myself, but to Mrs. Anson. She has been to
me a helpmeet in the truest and best sense of the word, rejoicing with
me in the days of my success and sympathizing with me in the days of my
adversity.

I was then in my 'smart' years, and what I didn"t know about books would

have filled a very large library, and I hadn"t the slightest desire to
know any more
I was then in my 'smart' years, and what I didn"t know about books would
have filled a very large library, and I hadn"t the slightest desire to
know any more. In my youthful mind book-knowledge cut but a small, a
very small, figure, and the school house itself was as bad if not worse
than the county jail.

Gone are they, gone--ah, welladay!

The flower and pride of our array;
And all the Eastland, from whose breast
Came forth her bravest and her best,
Craves longingly with boding dread--
Parents for sons, and brides new-wed
For absent lords, and, day by day,
Shudder with dread at their delay!

An early morning mist hung over the fields of Roselawn

An early morning mist hung over the fields of Roselawn. From his nest in
the branches of a tree, a bird chirruped dubiously, as though to assure
himself even against his better judgment that the rain was only a threat.
The woods which bordered the meadows were blurred into a foreboding,
formless black, like a fringe of mourning, and the distant hills stood
sentinels at the sepulchre of nature.

It was also decided to open the playing season on April 16, the matter

of arranging a schedule being left in my hands
It was also decided to open the playing season on April 16, the matter
of arranging a schedule being left in my hands. The Philadelphia end of
it had a decidedly fishy look to me, even then, and McGraw was by no
means as enthusiastic as he had appeared at Philadelphia. McCarthy"s
failure to appear cast a damper over the crowd, and, in spite of all
that had been accomplished, I had grave doubts as to the successful
launching of the project.

SAVVA _(jumping up and going to her quickly; fixing her with his

stare, he speaks slowly, pronouncing every word separately and
distinctly)_ So? Is that it? When it"s twelve--_(He turns to Speransky
without removing his eyes from Lipa)_ Listen, you go home
SAVVA _(jumping up and going to her quickly; fixing her with his
stare, he speaks slowly, pronouncing every word separately and
distinctly)_ So? Is that it? When it"s twelve--_(He turns to Speransky
without removing his eyes from Lipa)_ Listen, you go home.

But, at the end of a rather prolonged attempt to understand and

translate the surviving tragedies of Aeschylus, one feels inclined
to repeat the words used by a powerful critic about one of the
greatest of modern poets--'For man, it is a weary way to God, but a
wearier far to any demigod
But, at the end of a rather prolonged attempt to understand and
translate the surviving tragedies of Aeschylus, one feels inclined
to repeat the words used by a powerful critic about one of the
greatest of modern poets--'For man, it is a weary way to God, but a
wearier far to any demigod.' We shall not discover the full sequel
of Aeschylus" mighty dramatic conception: we 'know in part, and we
prophesy in part.' The Introduction (pp. xvi.-xviii.) prefixed by
Mr. A. O. Prickard to his edition of the _Prometheus_ is full of
persuasive grace, on this topic: to him, and to Dr. Verrall of
Cambridge--_lucida sidera_ of help and encouragement in the study of
Aeschylus--the translator"s thanks are due, and are gratefully and
affectionately rendered.

When you talk, Vassya, your words seem to pass by me

When you talk, Vassya, your words seem to pass by me. I hear and I
don"t hear. I think I should like to stay this way all my life without
moving from the spot. I should like to remain forever with my
eyes shut, listening to what is going on within me. Oh, Lord! What
happiness! Do you understand, Vassya?

He held her hand in his

He held her hand in his. "Miss Durwent," he said, "I cannot express
what I mean. But if this makes any difference at all, it is only that
I admire you infinitely more for"----

Incipit libellus de ludo Scaccorum, et de dictis factisque nobilium

virorum, philosophorum et antiquorum
Incipit libellus de ludo Scaccorum, et de dictis factisque nobilium
virorum, philosophorum et antiquorum. Explicit tabula super ludum
Scacchorum. Deo gratias. 4to. 29 leaves. Sign. A--H.

Buffalo stood third, Boston fourth, Cleveland fifth, Detroit sixth, Troy

seventh, while Worcester, as in the preceding year, brought up the tail
end of the procession
Buffalo stood third, Boston fourth, Cleveland fifth, Detroit sixth, Troy
seventh, while Worcester, as in the preceding year, brought up the tail
end of the procession.

Alas, my sisters! be your sighs the gale,

The smiting of your brows the plash of oars,
Wafting the boat, to Acheron"s dim shores
That passeth ever, with its darkened sail,
On its uncharted voyage and sunless way,
Far from thy beams, Apollo, god of day--
The melancholy bark
Bound for the common bourn, the harbour of the dark!
Look up, look yonder! from the home
Antigone, Ismene come,
On the last, saddest errand bound,
To chant a dirge of doleful sound,
With agony of equal pain
Above their brethren slain!
Their sister-bosoms surely swell,
Heart with rent heart according well
In grief for those who fought and fell!
Yet--ere they utter forth their woe--
We must awake the rueful strain
To vengeful powers, in realms below,
And mourn hell"s triumph o"er the slain!

Acts, then, mark the time-stages in the development of a given crisis;

and each act ought to embody a minor crisis of its own, with a
culmination and a temporary solution
Acts, then, mark the time-stages in the development of a given crisis;
and each act ought to embody a minor crisis of its own, with a
culmination and a temporary solution. It would be no gain, but a loss,
if a whole two hours" or three hours" action could be carried through in
one continuous movement, with no relaxation of the strain upon the
attention of the audience, and without a single point at which the
spectator might review what was past and anticipate what was to come.
The act-division positively enhances the amount of pleasurable emotion
through which the audience passes. Each act ought to stimulate and
temporarily satisfy an interest of its own, while definitely advancing
the main action. The psychological principle is evident enough; namely,
that there is more sensation to be got out of three or four
comparatively brief experiences, suited to our powers of perception,
than out of one protracted experience, forced on us without relief,
without contrast, in such a way as to fatigue and deaden our faculties.
Who would not rather drink three, four, or five glasses of wine than put
the bottle to his lips and let its contents pour down his throat in one
long draught? Who would not rather see a stained-glass window broken
into three, four, or five cunningly-proportioned 'lights,' than a great
flat sheet of coloured glass, be its design never so effective?

The players that made the first trip abroad in the interest of the

National Game may well be styled the Argonauts of Base-ball, and though
they brought back with them but little of the golden fleece, the trip
being financially a failure, their memory is one that should always be
kept green in the hearts of the game"s lovers, if for no other reason
than because they were the first to show our British cousins what the
American athlete could do when it came both to inventing and playing a
game of his own
The players that made the first trip abroad in the interest of the
National Game may well be styled the Argonauts of Base-ball, and though
they brought back with them but little of the golden fleece, the trip
being financially a failure, their memory is one that should always be
kept green in the hearts of the game"s lovers, if for no other reason
than because they were the first to show our British cousins what the
American athlete could do when it came both to inventing and playing a
game of his own.

But there was no machinery for such a thing

But there was no machinery for such a thing. There was no method by
which the great heart of one country could speak with that of another.
Our obsolete diplomatic envoys, the errand-boys of international
politics, were mere artifices, tending to cement rather than to dispel
the mutual distrust of nations. What, then, stood in the way of
world-understanding? What was the cause of the blindness which permitted
men to be led like dumb cattle to the slaughter?

"But, you ask, what of the real American, descended from the men who

fought in the War of Independence and the Civil War
"But, you ask, what of the real American, descended from the men who
fought in the War of Independence and the Civil War. Yes--what of him?
From earliest boyhood he has been taught that Britain is our traditional
enemy. To secure existence we had to fight her. To maintain existence
we fought her again in 1812. When we were locked in a death-struggle
with the rebellious South, she tried to hurt our cause--although history
will show that the real heart of Britain was solidly with the North. In
our short life as a people we find that, always, the enemy is Britain.
In one day could we change the teaching of a lifetime? The soul of
America was not dead, but it was buried beneath the conflicting elements
in which lay her ultimate strength, but her present weakness.

They went in and urged their father to go with them down to the brook to

see the freshet, but he said they must wait till after tea
They went in and urged their father to go with them down to the brook to
see the freshet, but he said they must wait till after tea. 'It is too
wet to go now,' said he.

Although his build was fairly powerful, Selwyn"s well-knit shoulders and

alert movements of body spoke of a physique that was always tuned to
pitch, but one missed the impression of limitless endurance which lay
behind the easy carelessness of Malcolm Durwent"s pose
Although his build was fairly powerful, Selwyn"s well-knit shoulders and
alert movements of body spoke of a physique that was always tuned to
pitch, but one missed the impression of limitless endurance which lay
behind the easy carelessness of Malcolm Durwent"s pose.

'Why,--no,' said Rollo; 'but then a real live squirrel is a different

thing
'Why,--no,' said Rollo; 'but then a real live squirrel is a different
thing. Besides, you know, if I get tired of him, I need not play with
him then.'

'Wyht fuyle a betel be he smetyn,

That al the werld hyt mote wyten,
That gyfht his sone al his thing,
And goht hym self a beggyn
'Wyht fuyle a betel be he smetyn,
That al the werld hyt mote wyten,
That gyfht his sone al his thing,
And goht hym self a beggyn.'

How the members of either game were enabled to play as good ball as they

did, not only in Paris but in other cities that we visited after the
inactivity of steamer life, the late hours, and the continual round of
high living that they indulged in, is a mystery, and one that is past my
fathoming, and yet the ball that they put up on many of these occasions
that I have spoken of was ball of the championship kind and the sort
that would have won even in, League company
How the members of either game were enabled to play as good ball as they
did, not only in Paris but in other cities that we visited after the
inactivity of steamer life, the late hours, and the continual round of
high living that they indulged in, is a mystery, and one that is past my
fathoming, and yet the ball that they put up on many of these occasions
that I have spoken of was ball of the championship kind and the sort
that would have won even in, League company.

They saw Jim and his comrades no more, and Rollo said he believed he

should never again want to have any thing to do with bad boys
They saw Jim and his comrades no more, and Rollo said he believed he
should never again want to have any thing to do with bad boys.

Following a tow-path which ran by the river, they appeared to be entering

a zone of comparative quiet
Following a tow-path which ran by the river, they appeared to be entering
a zone of comparative quiet. Although the sound of rifle-fire grew more
clear, the noise of the guns came from behind them, but to the right and
the left. For an hour they ran rapidly forward, and it seemed that the
tide of battle had swept to the north, leaving this area denuded of
troops. They saw neither guns nor infantry, although a renewed burst of
machine-gun fire told them they were nearing their unknown destination.

We need not follow the scene in the sentimental turning which it then

takes, whereby it comes about, of course, that Bernard, not Leopold,
marries Mile
We need not follow the scene in the sentimental turning which it then
takes, whereby it comes about, of course, that Bernard, not Leopold,
marries Mile. Letellier. The point is that Augier has justified Sarcey"s
confidence by making the scene thoroughly and specifically dramatic; in
other words, by charging it with emotion, and working up the tension to
a very high pitch. And Sarcey was no doubt right in holding that this
was what the whole audience instinctively expected, and that they would
have been more or less consciously disappointed had the author baulked
their expectation.

Trembling with indignation, Maynard suddenly collapsed like a punctured

balloon and relapsed dejectedly into his recumbent attitude
Trembling with indignation, Maynard suddenly collapsed like a punctured
balloon and relapsed dejectedly into his recumbent attitude. "What an
ass I have been!" he lamented sorrowfully. "What a sublime ass! And
Marian--the little devil!"

"Dinna worry yersel"s," said the man from the North

"Dinna worry yersel"s," said the man from the North. "I"m rare an" lucky
that it"s to be ma richt leg an" no the left, for that richt shank o"
mine was aye a wee thing crookit at the knee, and didna dae credit tae
the airchitecture o" tither ane."

The night of our return there was 'a hot time in the old town,' and had

there been any keys to the city I am pretty certain that we would have
been presented with them
The night of our return there was 'a hot time in the old town,' and had
there been any keys to the city I am pretty certain that we would have
been presented with them.

The crowd that attended the game was 4,500 strong, and they saw the

All-Americas win a rather easy game by a score of 11 to 7, the boys being
too nearly tired out to play good ball
The crowd that attended the game was 4,500 strong, and they saw the
All-Americas win a rather easy game by a score of 11 to 7, the boys being
too nearly tired out to play good ball. The ascent and fall of Professor
Bartholomew was, however, the sensation of the day, the parachute
failing to sustain his weight in that high altitude, and as a result he
came down with great speed, and, striking a cornice of a building in the
business district, was laid up for a month, it being a lucky thing for
him that he was not killed outright. At seven o"clock that night we left
for Melbourne, arriving there some four hours later in an all but used
up condition.

For days on end he had had no rest

For days on end he had had no rest. In the Fifth Army _debacle_ of
March his battalion had been one of the first to break, although
remnants had fought as few men had ever fought before; and when they
had been reorganised they were moved back into the line, undermanned,
ill-equipped, and branded with disgrace. It was the culmination of
three years" service at the front, and his nerves were at the
breaking-point. Mounds of earth ahead of him, and gnarled, dismembered
trees, began to take the ghostly shapes that the frightened boy had
told of.

That game was played on the fourth day of February, 1875, and it was not

until more than ten years afterwards that I again appeared in public as
a billiardist
That game was played on the fourth day of February, 1875, and it was not
until more than ten years afterwards that I again appeared in public as
a billiardist. Frank Parker, the ex-champion in the days of the old
four-ball game, now dead, was then a resident of Chicago, and his
friends thought so well of his abilities at the fourteen-inch balk line
game, which up to that time had never been played in public, that they
offered to match him against me for stakes of $250 a side, the game to
be 500 points up. After some talk back and forth this match was finally
made, and March 25th, 1885, we came together in Central Music Hall,
Chicago, before a fair-sized crowd, and I won by a score of 500 to 366,
averaging in the neighborhood of five, and astonishing both Parker and
his friends.

High faith is mine that he whose shield

Bears, against Zeus, the thing of hate
High faith is mine that he whose shield
Bears, against Zeus, the thing of hate.
The giant Typhon, thus revealed,
A monster loathed of gods eterne
And mortal men--this doom shall earn
A shattered skull, before the gate!

"If Germany and us puts on the gloves," ruminated Mathews, "I"ll be real

sorry Mas"r Dick ain"t "ere
"If Germany and us puts on the gloves," ruminated Mathews, "I"ll be real
sorry Mas"r Dick ain"t "ere. He"s a rare lad, "e is--one o" the right
breed, and no argifyin" can prove contrariwise. I always was fond o"
Mas"r Dick, I was, since "e was so high, and used to come in "ere and ask
me to learn "im how to swear proper like a groom. Ah, a fine lad "e was;
and--criky!--"e were a lovely sight on a hoss. Mister Malcolm "e"s a
fine rider hisself, but just a little stiff to my fancy, conseckens o"
sittin" up on parade with them there Hussars o" hisn. But Mas"r Dick--he
were part o" the hoss, he were, likewise and sim"lar."

It is needless to go through the whole list of comedies

It is needless to go through the whole list of comedies. The broad fact
is that in all the plays commonly so described, excepting only _The
Tempest_, the whole action comes within the frame of the picture. In
_The Tempest_ the poet employs a form of opening which otherwise he
reserves for tragedies. The first scene is simply an animated tableau,
calculated to arrest the spectator"s attention, without conveying to him
any knowledge either of situation or character. Such gleams of character
as do, in fact, appear in the dialogue, are scarcely perceived in the
hurly-burly of the storm. Then, in the calm which ensues, Prospero
expounds to Miranda in great detail the antecedents of the crisis now
developing. It might almost seem, indeed, that the poet, in this, his
poetic last-will-and-testament, intended to warn his successors against
the dangers of a long narrative exposition; for Prospero"s story sends
Miranda to sleep. Be this as it may, we have here a case in which
Shakespeare deliberately adopted the plan of placing on the stage, not
the whole crisis, but only its culmination, leaving its earlier stages
to be conveyed in narrative.[2] It would have been very easy for him to
have begun at the beginning and shown us in action the events narrated
by Prospero. This course would have involved no greater leap, either in
time or space, than he had perpetrated in the almost contemporary
_Winter"s Tale_; and it cannot be said that there would have been any
difficulty in compressing into three acts, or even two, the essentials
of the action of the play as we know it. His reasons for departing from
his usual practice were probably connected with the particular occasion
for which the play was written. He wanted to produce a masque rather
than a drama. We must not, therefore, attach too much significance to
the fact that in almost the only play in which Shakespeare seems to have
built entirely out of his own head, with no previous play or novel to
influence him, he adopted the plan of going straight to the catastrophe,
in which he had been anticipated by Sophocles (_Oedipus Rex_), and was
to be followed by Ibsen (_Ghosts_, _Rosmersholm_, etc.).

"Ah--_Parigi_!" ejaculated Madame Carlotti with the fervour born of the

feeling in all Latin women that Paris is their spiritual capital
"Ah--_Parigi_!" ejaculated Madame Carlotti with the fervour born of the
feeling in all Latin women that Paris is their spiritual capital.