Five Little Plays

Five Little Plays

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Five Little Plays, by Alfred Sutro
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Title: Five Little Plays
Author: Alfred Sutro
Release Date: December 29, 2004 [EBook #14519]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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FIVE LITTLE PLAYS

FIVE LITTLE PLAYS
BY ALFRED SUTRO
BRENTANO NEW YORK 1922
_Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_

CONTENTS
THE MAN IN THE STALLS
A MARRIAGE HAS BEEN ARRANGED....

THE MAN ON THE KERB
THE OPEN DOOR
THE BRACELET

THE MAN IN THE STALLS
A PLAY IN ONE ACT

THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY
HECTOR ALLEN ELIZABETH ALLEN (BETTY) WALTER
COZENS
_This play was produced at the Palace Theatre on October 6, 1911_

THE MAN IN THE STALLS
_The sitting-room of a little flat in Shaftesbury Avenue. At back is a
door leading to the dining-room--it is open, and the dinner-table is in
full view of the audience. To the extreme right is another door, leading
to the hall._
_The place is pleasantly and prettily, though quite inexpensively,
furnished. To the left, at angles with the distempered wall, is a
baby-grand piano; the fireplace, in which a fire is burning merrily, is on
the same side, full centre. To the right of the door leading to the
dining-room is a small side-table, on which there is a tray with decanter
and glasses; in front of this, a card-table, open, with two packs of cards
on it, and chairs on each side. Another table, a round one, is in the
centre of the room--to right and to left of it are comfortable armchairs.
Against the right wall is a long sofa; above it hang a few good,
water-colours and engravings; on the piano and the table there are
flowers. A general appearance of refinement and comfort pervades the
room; no luxury, but evidence everywhere of good taste, and the
countless feminine touches that make a room homelike and pleasant._
_When the curtain rises,_ HECTOR ALLEN, _a youngish man of forty,
with an attractive intellectual face, is seen standing by the dining-table
in the inner room, draining his liqueur-glass, with_ WALTER
COZENS _to the right of him, lighting a cigarette._ WALTER _is a
few years younger than his friend, moderately good-looking, with fine,
curly brown hair and a splendid silky moustache. His morning-clothes

are conspicuously well-cut--he is evidently something of a dandy;_
HECTOR _wears a rather shabby dress-suit, his boots are awkward,
and his tie ready-made._ BETTY, _a handsome woman of thirty,
wearing a very pretty tea-gown, is talking to the maid at the back of the
dining-room._
HECTOR _puts down his glass and comes into the sitting-room,
followed by_ WALTER. HECTOR _is puffing at a short, stumpy little
black cigar._
HECTOR [_Talking as he comes through, continuing the
conversation--he walks to the fireplace and stands with his back to it._]
I tell you, if I'd known what it meant, I'd never have taken the job!
Sounded so fine, to be reader of plays for the Duke's Theatre--adviser
to the great Mr. Honeyswill! And then--when the old man said I was to
go to all the first nights--why, I just chortled! "It's the first nights that
show you the grip of the thing--that teach you most"--he said. Teach
you! As though there were anything to learn! Oh my stars! I tell you,
it's a dog's life!
WALTER. [_Sitting to left of the round table._] I'd change places with
you, sonny.
HECTOR. You would, eh? That's what they all say! Four new plays
this week, my lad--one yesterday, one to-day--another to-morrow, and
the night after! All day long I'm reading plays--and I spend my nights
seeing 'em! D'you know I read about two thousand a year? Divide two
thousand by three hundred and sixty five. A dog's life--that's what it is!
WALTER. Better than being a stockbroker's clerk--you believe _me!_
HECTOR. Is it? I wish you could have a turn at it, my bonny boy! Your
hair'd go grey, like mine! And look here--what are the plays to-day?
They're either so chock-full of intellect that they send you to sleep--or
they reek of sentiment till you yearn for the smell of a cabbage!
WALTER. Well, you've the change, at any rate.
HECTOR. [_Snorting._] Change? By Jove, give me a Punch and Judy
show on the sands--or performing dogs! Plays--I'm sick of 'em! And
look here--the one I'm off to to-night. It's