My last play I
regard as a collaboration; indeed, it is far more his than mine."
I should have thought Dick mad had not the cat been sitting there
before me with its eyes looking into mine. As it was, I only grew
more interested in his tale.
"It was rather a cynical play as I first wrote it," he went on, "a
truthful picture of a certain corner of society as I saw and knew
it. From an artistic point of view I felt it was good; from the
box-office standard it was doubtful. I drew it from my desk on the
third evening after Pyramids' advent, and read it through. He sat
on the arm of the chair and looked over the pages as I turned them.
"It was the best thing I had ever written. Insight into life ran
through every line, I found myself reading it again with delight.
Suddenly a voice beside me said:-
"'Very clever, my boy, very clever indeed. If you would just turn
it topsy-turvy, change all those bitter, truthful speeches into
noble sentiments; make your Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs
(who never has been a popular character) die in the last act
instead of the Yorkshireman, and let your bad woman be reformed by
her love for the hero and go off somewhere by herself and be good
to the poor in a black frock, the piece might be worth putting on
the stage.
Pages:
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256