One Female and Six Male Figures.
Unattended even by a body guard, and confiding in the love of his
subjects, James I. of Scotland was residing within the walls of the
Carthusian monastery at Scone. Graham of Stratham seized the occasion,
and brought down a party by night to the neighborhood. Seconded by
traitors within, he gained possession of the gates and interior
passages. The king's first intimation was from his cup-bearer, who, on
leaving the king's chamber, found the passage crowded by armed men,
who answered his cry of alarm by striking him dead. The noise reached
the royal chamber; a rush of the assassins followed; and Catharine
Douglass, one of the queen's maids of honor, springing forward to bolt
the door, found the bar had been clandestinely removed. With resolute
self-devotion she supplied the place with her naked arm.--To present a
view of the interior of the room, and the passage outside, it will be
necessary to place a partition from the front of the stage, near the
footlights, to the left hand corner in the background. In the
smallest apartment stands Catharine Douglass. The partition running in
this manner will give to the audience a view of the door and iron
fastenings through which the arm of the heroine passes, and also the
passage where the assassins stand. The partition should be made of
light strips of wood, covered with cheap cloth, and painted to imitate
the interior of a room. The door must be quite near the front, of
Gothic form, studded with large nails; two iron sockets, four inches
square, should be placed on the door and frame; a mahogany table,
globe lamp, chairs, carpets, and engravings may be placed in the inner
room; the outer apartment should be empty. The lady who personates the
heroine must be of good figure, tall and stout, fine features, and
have long black hair. Costume consists of a blue silk dress, pink
waist, sleeves five inches long, bordered on the edge with black
crape, under sleeves of white tarleton muslin reaching to the wrist, a
yellow scarf tied loosely around the waist, hair flowing loosely over
the shoulders, a plaid scarf fringed on the ends with gold, bound
around the head, the ends hanging in the neck. Position, facing the
audience, the right arm bare, and thrust through the first socket, the
hand grasping the second; the left is pressed against the door above
the fastening; the head inclined towards the door, body perfectly
upright, eyes looking straight forward with intensity, countenance
expressing firmness. The assassins, to the number of six, stand around
the outside of the door; each is costumed in a black coat trimmed
around the edge and collar with green, and ornamented with large gilt
buttons; colored vests, cut very long and trimmed with black binding,
knee breeches of light color, black hose, and a band of bright-colored
cloth around the top, low shoes, shoe and knee buckles, black felt hat
turned up at one side and ornamented with a colored plume and gilt
band, belt around the waist, side arms and pistols; the face covered
with a shaggy beard. Each one grasps a sword, and is in the act of
running towards the door, the left hand extended, the right with the
sword raised on high, eyes directed to the door, countenance
expressing excitement. The light should come from both sides of the
stage, the room in which the heroine stands being the lightest. Music
wild and animating.