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Introduction and Notes © 2019 by Martin Edwards
‘The Turn of the Tide’ by C. S. Forester reprinted by permission of
Cassette Productions Limited on behalf of the Estate of C. S.
Forester.
‘A Question of Timing’ by Phyllis Bentley reprinted by permission of
Peters Fraser & Dunlop on behalf of the Estate of Phyllis Bentley.
‘The Thimble River Mystery’ by Josephine Bell, reproduced with
permission of Curtis Brown Ltd, London on behalf of the
Beneficiaries of the Estate of Josephine Bell. Copyright © Josephine
Bell, 1950.
‘Man Overboard’ by Edmund Crispin reprinted by permission of
Rights Limited on behalf of the Estate of Edmund Crispin.
‘The Queer Fish’ by Kem Bennett reproduced by permission of the
Estate of Kem Bennett.
‘Seasprite’ [renamed for this anthology] reproduced by permission of
Curtis Brown Group Ltd, London, on behalf of the Beneficiaries of
the Estate of Andrew Garve. Copyright © Andrew Garve 1963.
‘Death by Water’ from The Appleby File by Michael Innes reprinted
by permission of Peters Fraser & Dunlop on behalf of the Estate of
Michael Innes.
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain
their permission for the use of copyright material. The publisher
apologises for any errors or omissions and would be pleased to be
notified of any corrections to be incorporated in reprints or future
editions.
Cover and internal design © 2019 by Sourcebooks
Cover image © NRM/Pictorial Collection/Science & Society Picture
Library
Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press, and the colophon are registered
trademarks of Sourcebooks.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information
storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing
from its publisher, Sourcebooks.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are
used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is
purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, in
association with the British Library
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
(630) 961-3900
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the
publisher.
Contents
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
Bullion!
A Question of Timing
The Thimble River Mystery
Man Overboard
Seasprite
Death by Water
Back Cover
Introduction
Dear Mr Bell,
Can you come down on Wednesday and stay with us for a week?
The weather is glorious and the river looking its best. We are a
gay party, and there will be plenty of fun going on.
This was exactly what I wanted. I was fond of the river, and scarcely
a summer passed that I did not spend at least a fortnight on the
Thames. I could go for a week to the Ridsdales, and then start off
on my own quiet holiday afterwards. I had known Lady Ridsdale
since she was a girl, and I had no doubt my visit would prove a most
enjoyable one. I replied immediately, accepting the invitation, and
three days later arrived at Goring.
As the well-cushioned little punt, which had been sent to bring me
across the river, drew up alongside the Theodora, the Countess
came down from the deck to welcome me.
‘I am so glad you could come, Mr Bell,’ she said. ‘I was afraid you
might be away on some of your extraordinary campaigns against the
supernatural. This is Mr Ralph Vyner; he is also, like yourself,
devoted to science. I am sure you will find many interests in
common.’
A short, thickset, wiry little man, dressed in white flannels, who
had been lolling in a deck chair, now came forward and shook hands
with me.
‘I know of you by reputation, Mr Bell,’ he said, ‘and I have often
hoped to have the pleasure of meeting you. I am sure we shall all be
anxious to hear of some of your experiences. We are such an
excessively frivolous party that we can easily afford to be leavened
with a little serious element.’
‘But I don’t mean to be serious in the least,’ I answered, laughing;
‘I have come here to enjoy myself, and intend to be as frivolous as
the rest of you.’
‘You will have an opportunity this evening,’ said the Countess; ‘we
are going to have a special band from town, and intend to have a
moonlight dance on deck. Ah! here comes Charlie with the others,’
she added, shading her eyes and looking down the stream.
In a few moments a perfectly appointed little electric launch shot
up, and my host with the rest of the party came on board. We
shortly afterwards sat down to lunch, and a gayer and pleasanter set
of people I have seldom met. In the afternoon we broke up into
detachments, and Vyner and I went for a long pull upstream. I found
him a pleasant fellow, ready to talk at any length not only about his
own hobbies, but about the world at large. I discovered presently
that he was a naval engineer of no small attainments.
When we returned to the house-boat, it was nearly time to prepare
for dinner. Most of the ladies had already retired to their cabins.
Lady Ridsdale was standing alone on deck. When she saw us both,
she called to us to come to her side.
‘This quite dazzles me,’ she said in a low, somewhat mysterious
tone, ‘and I must show it to you. I know you at least, Mr Vyner, will
appreciate it.’
As she spoke she took a small leather case out of her pocket—it
was ornamented with a monogram, and opened with a catch. She
pressed the lid, it flew up, and I saw, resting on a velvet bed, a
glittering circlet of enormous diamonds. The Countess lifted them
out, and slipped them over her slender wrist.
‘They are some of the family diamonds,’ she said with excitement,
‘and of great value. Charlie is having all the jewels reset for me, but
the rest are not ready yet. He has just brought this down from town.
Is it not superb? Did you ever see such beauties?’
The diamonds flashed on her white wrist; she looked up at me
with eyes almost as bright.
‘I love beautiful stones,’ she said, ‘and I feel as if these were alive.
Oh, do look at the rays of colour in them, as many as in the
rainbow.’
I congratulated Lady Ridsdale on possessing such a splendid
ornament, and then glanced at Vyner, expecting him to say
something.
The expression on his face startled me, and I was destined to
remember it by-and-by. The ruddy look had completely left it; his
eyes were half starting from his head. He peered close, and
suddenly, without the slightest warning, stretched out his hand, and
touched the diamonds as they glittered round Lady Ridsdale’s wrist.
She started back haughtily, then, recovering herself, took the
bracelet off and put it into his hand.
‘Charlie tells me,’ she said, ‘that this bracelet is worth from fifteen
to twenty thousand pounds.’
‘You must take care of it,’ remarked Vyner; ‘don’t let your maid see
it, for instance.’
‘Oh, nonsense!’ laughed Lady Ridsdale. ‘I would trust Louise as I
would trust myself.’
Soon afterwards we separated, and I went down to my little cabin
to prepare for dinner. When we met in the dining saloon I noticed
that Lady Ridsdale was wearing the diamond bracelet. Almost
immediately after dinner the band came on board and the dancing
began.
We kept up our festivities until two o’clock, and more than once, as
she flashed past me, I could not help noticing the glittering circlet
round her wrist. I considered myself a fair judge of precious stones,
but had never seen any diamonds for size and brilliancy to equal
these.
As Vyner and I happened to stand apart from the others he
remarked upon them.
‘It was imprudent of Ridsdale to bring those diamonds here,’ he
said. ‘Suppose they are stolen?’
‘Scarcely likely,’ I answered; ‘there are no thieves on board.’
He gave an impatient movement.
‘As far as we know there are not,’ he said slowly, ‘but one can
never tell. The diamonds are of exceptional value, and it is not safe
to expose ordinary folk to temptation. That small circlet means a
fortune.’
He sighed deeply, and when I spoke to him next did not answer
me. Not long afterwards our gay party dispersed, and we retired to
our respective cabins.
I went to mine and was quickly in bed. As a newly-arrived guest I
was given a cabin on board, but several other members of the party
were sleeping in tents on the shore. Vyner and Lord Ridsdale were
amongst the latter number. Whether it was the narrowness of my
bunk or the heat of the night, I cannot tell, but sleep I could not.
Suddenly through my open window I heard voices from the shore
near by. I could identify the speakers by their tones—one was my
host, Lord Ridsdale, the other Ralph Vyner. Whatever formed the
subject of discourse, it was evidently far from amicable. However
much averse I might feel to the situation, I was compelled to be an
unwilling eavesdropper, for the voices rose, and I caught the
following words from Vyner:
‘Can you lend me five thousand pounds till the winter?’
‘No, Vyner, I have told you so before, and the reason too. It is your
own fault, and you must take the consequences.’
‘Do you mean that to be final?’ asked Vyner.
‘Yes.’
‘Very well, then I shall look after myself. Thank God, I have got
brains if I have not money, and I shall not let the means interfere
with the end.’
‘You can go to the devil for all I care,’ was the angry answer, ‘and,
after what I know, I won’t raise a finger to help you.’
The speakers had evidently moved further off, for the last words I
could not catch. But what little I heard by no means conduced to
slumber. So Vyner, for all his jovial and easy manner, was in a fix for
money, and Ridsdale knew something about him scarcely to his
credit!
I kept thinking over this, and also recalling his words when he
spoke of Lady Ridsdale’s diamonds as representing a fortune. What
did he mean by saying that he would not let the means interfere
with the end? That brief sentence sounded very much like the
outburst of a desperate man. I could not help heartily wishing that
Lady Ridsdale’s diamond circlet was back in London, and, just before
I dropped to sleep, I made up my mind to speak to Ridsdale on the
subject.
Towards morning I did doze off, but I was awakened by hearing
my name called, and, starting up, I saw Ridsdale standing by my
side. His face looked queer and excited.
‘Wake up, Bell,’ he cried; ‘a terrible thing has happened.’
‘What is it?’ I asked.
‘My wife’s bracelet is stolen.’
Like a flash I thought of Vyner, and then as quickly I knew that I
must be careful to give no voice to hastily-formed suspicions.
‘I won’t be a moment dressing, and then I’ll join you,’ I said.
Ridsdale nodded and left my cabin.
In five minutes I was with him on deck. He then told me briefly
what had happened.
‘Helena most imprudently left the case on her dressing-table last
night,’ he said, ‘and owing to the heat she kept the window open.
Some one must have waded into the water in the dark and stolen it.
Perhaps one of the bandsmen may have noticed the flashing of the
diamonds on her wrist and returned to secure the bracelet—there’s
no saying. The only too palpable fact is that it is gone—it was valued
at twenty thousand pounds!’
‘Have you sent for the police?’ I asked.
‘Yes, and have also wired to Scotland Yard for one of their best
detectives. Vyner took the telegram for me, and was to call at the
police station on his way back. He is nearly as much upset as I am.
This is a terrible loss. I feel fit to kill myself for my folly in bringing
that valuable bracelet on board a house-boat.’
‘It was a little imprudent,’ I answered, ‘but you are sure to get it
back.’
‘I hope so,’ he replied moodily.
Just then the punt with Vyner and a couple of policemen on board
was seen rapidly approaching. Ridsdale went to meet them,and was
soon in earnest conversation with the superintendent of police. The
moment Vyner leapt on board he came to the part of the deck where
I was standing.
‘Ah, Bell,’ he cried, ‘what about my prognostications of last night?’
‘They have been verified too soon,’ I answered. I gave him a quick
glance. His eyes looked straight into mine.
‘Have you any theory to account for the theft?’ I asked.
‘Yes, a very simple one. Owing to the heat of the evening the
Countess slept with her window open. It was an easy matter to
wade through the water, introduce a hand through the open window
and purloin the diamonds.’
‘Without being seen by any occupants of the tents?’ I queried.
‘Certainly,’ he answered, speaking slowly and with thought.
‘Then you believe the thief came from without?’
‘I do.’
‘What about your warning to Lady Ridsdale yesterday evening not
to trust her maid?’
I saw his eyes flash. It was the briefest of summer lightning that
played in their depths. I knew that he longed to adopt the
suggestion that I had on purpose thrown out but dared not. That
one look was enough for me. I had guessed his secret.
Before he could reply to my last remark, Lord Ridsdale came up.
‘What is to be done?’ he said; ‘the police superintendent insists on
our all, without respect of persons, being searched.’
‘There is nothing in that,’ I said; ‘it is the usual thing. I will be the
first to submit to the examination.’
The police went through their work thoroughly, and, of course,
came across neither clue nor diamonds. We presently sat down to
breakfast, but I don’t think we any of us had much appetite. Lady
Ridsdale’s eyes were red with crying, and I could see that the loss
had shaken both her nerve and fortitude. It was more or less of a
relief when the post came in. Amongst the letters I found a telegram
for myself. I knew what it meant before I opened it. It was from a
man in a distant part of the country whom I had promised to assist
in a matter of grave importance. I saw that it was necessary for me
to return to town without delay. I was very loth to leave my host and
hostess in their present dilemma, but there was no help for it, and
soon after breakfast I took my leave. Ridsdale promised to write me
if there was any news of the diamonds, and soon the circumstance
passed more or less into the background of my brain, owing to the
intense interest of the other matter which I had taken up. My work
in the north was over, and I had returned to town, when I received a
letter from Ridsdale.
‘We are in a state of despair,’ he wrote; ‘we have had two
detectives on board, and the police have moved heaven and earth to
try and discover the bracelet—all in vain; not the slightest clue has
been forthcoming. No one has worked harder for us than Vyner. He
has a small place of his own further down the river, and comes up to
see us almost daily. He has made all sorts of suggestions for the
recovery of the diamonds, but hitherto they have led to nothing. In
short, our one hope now turns upon you, Bell; you have done as
difficult things as this before. Will you come and see us, and give us
the benefit of your advice? If any man can solve this mystery, you
are the person.’
I wrote immediately to say that I would return to the Theodora on
the following evening, and for the remainder of that day tried to the
best of my ability to think out this most difficult problem. I felt
morally certain that I could put my hand on the thief, but I had no
real clue to work upon—nothing beyond a nameless suspicion.
Strange as it may seem, I was moved by sentiment. I had spent
some pleasant hours in Vyner’s society—I had enjoyed his
conversation; I had liked the man for himself. He had abilities above
the average, of that I was certain—if he were proved guilty, I did not
want to be the one to bring his crime home to him. So
uncomfortable were my feelings that at last I made up my mind to
take a somewhat bold step. This was neither more nor less than to
go to see Vyner himself before visiting the house-boat. What I was
to do and say when I got to him I was obliged to leave altogether to
chance; but I had a feeling almost amounting to a certainty that by
means of this visit I should ultimately return the bracelet to my
friends the Ridsdales.
The next afternoon I found myself rowing slowly down the river,
thinking what the issue of my visit to Vyner would be. It happened
to be a perfect evening. The sun had just set. The long reach of
river stretched away to the distant bend, where, through the
gathering twilight, I could just see the white gates of the Eight-Mile
Lock. Raising my voice, I sang out in a long-drawn, sonorous
monotone the familiar cry of ‘Lock! lock! lock!’ and, bending to the
sculls, sent my little skiff flying down stream. The sturdy figure of old
James Pegg, the lock-keeper, whom I had known for many years,
instantly appeared on the bridge. One of the great gates slowly
swung open, and, shipping my sculls, I shot in, and called out a
cheery good-evening to my old friend.
‘Mr Bell!’ exclaimed the old fellow, hurrying along the edge of the
lock. ‘Well, I never! I did not see it was you at first, and yet I ought
to have known that long, swinging stroke of yours. You are the last
person I expected to see. I was half afraid it might be some one
else, although I don’t know that I was expecting any one in
particular. Excuse me, sir, but was it you called out “Lock” just now?’
‘Of course it was,’ I answered, laughing. ‘I’m in the deuce of a
hurry tonight, Jimmy, as I want to get on to Wotton before dark.
Look sharp, will you, and let me down.’
‘All right, sir—but you did frighten me just now. I wish you hadn’t
called out like that!’
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Mi más mindez, mint a franczia demi-monde-féle drámák
tragikuma. Azonban e szerep nemcsak sikerültebb a többinél, de
annyiban nehezebb is, a mennyiben valamivel complikáltabb. Itt több
nemü s néha ellenkező indulatok küzdenek s az átmenetek gyorsak
egyikből a másikba. Jókainé játékában jobbak voltak a részletek,
mint az egész, nagy erővel fejezett ki nemcsak egyes mozzanatokat,
hanem egy egész indulatot is, azonban a vegyitést nem mindenütt
találta el s némely átmenetet mellőzött. Alakja, tartása és öltözete
igen illett e szerephez. A vöröses szin, mely öltözetének jellemet
adott, ugy látszik, nem történetből volt választva, hanem czélzatból.
Jól eltalálta. Az öltözet szine épen ugy jellemezheti a személyt, mint
befolyhat arra nézve, hogy a nézőben bizonyos hangulatot
ébreszszen. Szinészeink öltözetöket sokkal jobban megválasztják a
vigjátékokban, mint a tragédiákban; épen azért nem fölösleges
Jókainé öltözetét méltányolnunk, annyival inkább, mert nálunk
inkább csak a szép öltözetet szokták dicsérni s nem egyszersmind a
jellemzőt is. Sajnáljuk, hogy mindjárt első jelenetét nem találhattuk
oly sikerültnek, mint öltözetét. Nyugtalanságot fejezett ki, de nem
rendkivüli, ugyszólva lázas nyugtalanságot. Sokkal jobb volt zavara,
megdöbbenése, midőn Ferdinand belépett, s mindenek fölött
kitünően sikerült az a rész, midőn elérzékenyülve, de méltósággal
menti magát s mindinkább növekedő felindulásban tör ki.
Itt Jókainé elemében volt, mert ő inkább csak a nagy vonásokat
emeli ki, ritkábban árnyal s néha annyira átengedi magát valamely
felindulásnak, hogy egy másba nem könnyen siklik át. E jelenet
végén is valami ilyest tapasztaltunk, midőn igy szól ott
Ferdinandhoz: «Összeköttetésünkről már tartományszerte
beszélnek. Minden szem, a guny minden nyila reám van szegezve.
Meggyaláztatásom eltörölhetlen, ha a herczegnek egy jobbágya
rólam lemond. Pörlekedjék ön atyjával, védje magát a mint lehet! Én
mindent elkövetek, hogy czélhoz jussak». Ez a kihülés pillanata, a
reflexió erőt vett az érzéseken. Büszkeségének ereje visszaadta
nyugalmát; mintegy harczot izen Ferdinandnak és gyorsan távozik,
hogy véget vessen minden vitának. Jókainé itt se elég büszke
nyugalmat, se elég hideg határozottságot nem tüntetett föl s még az
előbbi jelenet hatása alatt állott.
A negyedik felvonásban sem volt Jókainé játéka egyenlő, bár
utolsó jelenete művészibb volt mindeniknél. Midőn találkozik
Luizával, az urias és tettetett hidegséget találóan emelte ki, de nem
egyszersmind a titkolt kiváncsiságot, meglepetést, boszus felindulást
szemben vetélytársnőjével, holott mindez néha ki is tör belőle.
Azonban az utolsó jelenet kárpotlást nyujtott e hiányokért. A megtört,
lemondó, de önmagán vett győzelmében mintegy gyönyörködő lady
Milford leginkább sikerült Jókainénak. Az a megvetés és guny,
melylyel Kalbhoz szól, az az elhatározottság, mely erkölcsi erejét
egészen visszaadja, az az önvádló elérzékenyülés, melylyel
cselédeitől bucsuzik, s végre az a büszkeség és gyülölet, mely a
herczegnek küldött izenetét oly hatásossá teszi, mind
megelevenedtek Jókainé arczán, mozdulatain, szavalatában. S
mégis volt valami Jókainé játékában, még a legsikerültebb helyeken
is, mi éreztette a nézővel, hogy Jókainé többre képes. Némi
kedvetlenséget vehetni észre rajta, mintha művészi ambitiója nem
találna elég táplálékot. Talán szomoruan hat reá, hogy a magyar
tragédia képviselői, kikkel egykor diadalait ünnepelte, majd mind
kihaltak mellőle, hogy a közönség izlése egészen a modern franczia
dráma felé fordult, mely nem igen nyujt neki szerepeket, hogy a régi
művekre, melyekben nagyobb szerepei vannak, csekély közönség
szokott begyülni, s a hirlapok, akár jól játszik, akár nem, csak egy
obligat bókkal tisztelik meg. Ohajtjuk, hogy e kitünő művésznő
ambitiója minden oldalról több táplálékot nyerjen, de egyszersmind
meritsen önmagából is.
Tóthra épen nem lehet panasz, hogy művészi ambitiója apadoz:
ellenkezőleg nőttön nő, sőt igen is megnőtt. Annyit beszélték a
lapok, hogy ő nem is játszhatik rosszul, hogy roppant tanulmányt
fordít szerepeire, hogy mindig és mindent művészien alakit, hogy
immár megvetni látszik azt a szakmát, melyben valóban kitünő, és
szivesebben fog olyanba, melyre kevésbbé vagy épen nincs hivatva.
Ő jeles némely cselszövő és komikai szerepekben, igen kitünően
ábrázol némely genrealakokat, de Richarddal, Leonteszszel, s több
más ily szerepekkel csak fél sikerrel vagy épen siker nélkül birkózik.
Azonban legyen elég ezt most csak érintenünk, s térjünk vissza oda,
hogy Tóth valódi szerepkörét mintegy elhanyagolni látszik. Legalább
mai játéka ezt mutatta. Nekünk ugy tetszett, mintha nem tartotta
volna magához méltónak a Vurm szerepét. Lehetlen, hogy oly
gondolkozó szinész, vagy a mint a bécsi magyar lap nevezi, a
legnagyobb magyar szinész, ha valóban figyelmet fordít szerepére,
észre ne vegye azt, hogy Vurm nemcsak a gonosz tett iránti
előszeretetből szövi cselszövényét, hanem leginkább azon kettős
indokból, hogy urának szolgálatot tehessen, s Luizát nőül vehesse,
kit szeret, már ugy a hogy, de mégis szeret, a maga módja szerint.
Tóth Vurm szerelmét sehol sem emelte ki, sőt nem is sejtette, pedig
a költő még utasításaiban is czéloz reá. Például az első felvonás
ötödik jelenetében, midőn Vurm dicséri Luiza szépségét, még pedig
hévvel, midőn a jelenet végén jó kedvüleg meghajtja magát az elnök
azon igéretére, hogy őt feleséghez segíti. Tóth egyik mozzanatot
sem emelte ki; meghajlása pusztán szolgai alázat volt, melyet tulzott
is, mert kétszer háromszor oly mélyen meghajolt, hogy nevetést
idézett elő. Itt a jó kedvnek, a siker örömének kellett volna
tulnyomónak lenni s a szolgai mély alázatnak annál kevésbbé volt
helye, mert ha Vurm függ az elnöktől, az elnök is függ tőle mint
büntársa, s ezt oly jól tudta Vurm, hogy a mű végén épen ennél
fogva buktatja meg az elnököt. A harmadik felvonás végén Tóth oly
némajátékot nem vett igénybe, mely Vurm belsőjét fölleplezve,
érthetőbbé tette volna e jellemet. Midőn Luiza a kezeit megcsókolni s
megkérni akaró Vurmot gunyosan visszautasítja, Tóth egy
arczvonással, egy mozdulattal sem éreztette a megvetett szerelem
dühét, melyet elnyomni igyekszik, hogy nyugodt maradhasson,
inkább csak mosolyogni látszott a leány felindulásán. Szóval Tóth
Vurm jellemét annyiban érthetlenné tette, a mennyiben egy minden
indok nélküli gazembert állított elő. Ezt jól adta, de mi a Schiller
Vurmját óhajtottuk volna látni. Egy szerepet sokfélekép lehet felfogni,
de ha érthetlenné teszszük, az mindig hibás felfogás.
A többi szereplők ezek voltak: Komáromy (Walter), Szilágyi
(Miller), Benedek (Kalb.) Komáromy nem arathatott sikert a kemény,
zord jellemű elnök szerepében; őt természete, hangja, mozdulatai
inkább a lágyabb, szelidebb jellemek ábrázolására teszik
alkalmassá. Igazságtalanok volnánk, ha e szerepből itélnők meg.
Szilágyi játékát sem akarjuk bonczolni, mert félünk, hogy
igazságtalanok leszünk hozzá is. Miller határozottan az ő
szerepköréhez tartozik ugyan, azonban valahányszor Szilágyit
Szentpéteri fő szerepeiben látjuk játszani, hajlandók vagyunk
kevesebbre becsülni játékát, mint a mennyit talán valóban ér. Lehet
az az oka, hogy Szilágyi Szentpéteri némely külső fogásait eltanulta,
mindjárt eszébe juttatja az embernek Szentpéterit, s ez emlék oly
kedvezőtlen Szilágyira nézve, hogy könnyen elfogulttá teheti
itéletünket. Egyébiránt vannak Szilágyinak oly szerepei is,
melyekben semmi se zavarja élvezetünket, méltánylatunkat. Ilyen
például Szigligeti Lelenczében a notárius szerepe, melyet Szilágyi
igen jól játszik. Ő is mint szinészeink legtöbbje, némely genre
szerepben legjobb. A genre uralkodik most drámában, szinészetben
egyaránt, s átalában az ujabb szinészi nemzedék egészen ide
szegődik. Benedeknek is ebben van főereje. Mai játékának nem volt
valami feltünőbb fény- vagy árnyoldala. Csak egyetlen egy jelenetét
kell élénken hibáztatnunk. Midőn Ferdinand rá támad, mellbe
ragadja, vallatja, oly nevetségesen rángatózott, oly hahotára
fakasztotta a közönséget, hogy Ferdinand jelenetének el kellett
veszni, még akkor is, ha Lendvai valami rendkivül szépen játssza.
Ha valaha, ilyenkor kell mérsékelni magát a szinésznek. A Ferdinand
dühe a fő, s nem a Kalb félelme. Legfeljebb mosolyt idézhet elő, de
azt is mi hamar el kellene nyomni a Ferdinand iránti részvétnek. E
megjegyzés egyébiránt nemcsak Benedeket illeti, hanem
szinészeink legtöbbjét is. Az ily jelenetek ritkán sikerülnek
szinpadunkon s mindig a fennebbi ok miatt.
STUART MÁRIA SKÓTHONBAN.
Korrajz 5 felvonásban. Irta Zichy Antal. Előadatott a Nemzeti Szinházban 1865
márczius 24-én.