'Perhaps it may be my privilege
some day to produce a play of yours. Would you like it to have a
long run or a short one?' (Roars of laughter.)
"Answer: 'Well--er--well, of course, Mr. Irving, you--well--well, a
short run, of course for _art_, but--'
"'Now, sir, you're on oath,' said I. 'Suppose that the fees were
rolling in L10 and more a night--would you rather the play were a
failure or a success?'
"'Well, well, as _you_ put it--I must say--er--I would rather my
play had a _long_ run!'
"A---- floored!
"He has all his life been writing articles running down good work
and crying up the impossible, and I was glad to show him up a bit!
"The Vice-Chancellor made a most lovely speech after the
address--an eloquent and splendid tribute to the stage.
"Bourchier presented the address of the 'Undergrads.' I never saw a
young man in a greater funk--because, I suppose, he had imitated me
so often!
"From the address:
"'We have watched with keen and enthusiastic interest the fine
intellectual quality of all these representations from Hamlet to
Mephistopheles with which you have enriched the contemporary stage.
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