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"The Wynmartens."
[Illustration: BLACK TRIES TO CHECK WHITE.
_Lady Wynmarten_ Miss Marie Tempest.
_Dowager Lady Wynmarten_ Miss Agnes Thomas.]
When a young widow wants to commit a flagrant outrage on the proprieties
in order to scandalise a detested mother-in-law, and selects the first
likely man for her accomplice, she will probably not be deterred by fear
of any damage that may occur to his reputation. When _Lady Wynmarten_
engaged the services of _Bill Carrington_ she had the less compunction
because he was only over from India for a week and might rely upon the
fresh air of the high seas to repair the damage and displace the breath
of scandal. Unfortunately, his very limited time in England had been
carefully scheduled for the execution of several important contracts;
and when his firm heard of his escapade and found him twenty minutes
late for a business appointment, he was briefly booted.
It was at this point that the critics began to think of taking notes on
their cuffs about Browning's views on the danger of "playing with
souls," but found on reflection that the case was not so serious as
that. For we knew all the time (by the splendour of her frocks) that the
lady was rich, and we had gathered half-way through that she was
prepared to accept _Bill_ in marriage and make an honest man of him. Not
that their joint adventure had actually achieved immorality. She had
simply dined with him, done a play, had supper at the Savoy, gone on to
a Covent Garden ball, failed to effect an entrance into her house
(having deliberately mislaid her latch-key and cut the bell-wire), and
been taken a little before milk-time to her mother-in-law's, where her
appearance had caused the greatest confusion and scandal, which was
indeed the ultimate purpose of the scheme. But the fatal devotion of her
French maid, who telephoned next morning to all her mistress's friends
to say that her bed had not been slept in, and that a dark mystery
brooded over her whereabouts, tended to promote a garrulous interest in
her conduct.
It was a sad pity that we were not permitted to witness any phase of
this adventure. One seemed to be assisting at a farce with the fun left
out. I should have greatly enjoyed being present at the moment when her
ladyship claimed the hospitality of her mother-in-law's roof. But
perhaps this experience would have left me in a frame of mind too
frivolous for the right reception of the grave things that were to
follow.
Yet the play was mixed of all moods, from gay to earnest, and offered
excellent scope for the versatility of Miss Marie Tempest. Mr.
Clarence's humour, on the other hand, was not so well served; and there
were frequent _longueurs_ during the episodes in which the _Dowager Lady
Wynmarten_ figured. She was meant to be a terror, and had some very
vicious things to say; but Miss Agnes Thomas delivered them with
superfluously well-bred restraint, and the level tone of her bitter
suavity tended to become a little tedious.
Mr. Graham Browne showed a very nice self-repression as the widow's
dummy. But he let himself go with his cigarettes which in moments of
emotion he threw away with an appalling recklessness after the first two
whiffs.
The rest of the cast did ample justice to a play which, if it is Mr.
Powell's first, must be commended for its promise. But the next time he
writes a Four-Act Comedy he must try and give us more than one Act
without any tea in it.