The autobiography of Joseph Jefferson . m told there is twenty years to elapsebetween the third and fourth acts? Yes, I re-plied. Well, I aint alive then, am I? No,Mr. Bedford, said I; you are cut off in the flowerof your youth. What, die in the first act?Good ! And so he went on with a running fire offun altogether at variance with good discipline. Mr. Billington, who was to act in the play, andwho was considered an authority in such matters,said, There s a hundred nights in that play; amI right, Paul ? To which Bedford replied, quot-ing from his old character oi Jack Gong, I believeyou, my b
The autobiography of Joseph Jefferson . m told there is twenty years to elapsebetween the third and fourth acts? Yes, I re-plied. Well, I aint alive then, am I? No,Mr. Bedford, said I; you are cut off in the flowerof your youth. What, die in the first act?Good ! And so he went on with a running fire offun altogether at variance with good discipline. Mr. Billington, who was to act in the play, andwho was considered an authority in such matters,said, There s a hundred nights in that play; amI right, Paul ? To which Bedford replied, quot-ing from his old character oi Jack Gong, I believeyou, my boy ; and then, taking me by the hand,he said with marked solemnity, My transatlantickid, I welcome you to the classic precincts of theroyal Adelphi. While the play was in rehearsal 1 was desirousthat Boucicault should see how I had arranged thebusiness of the scene, as I knew that his judgmentand opinion upon what I had done would be ofvalue, and would serve to strengthen the it was arranged that a full rehearsal of the play. PAUL BEDFORD. OF JOSEPH JEFFERSON 305 and the scenery should take place on the Mondaypreceding its production, and that he was to bepresent. With my portion of the work he seemed wellpleased, but during the setting of the scenery some-thing went wrong ; nothing of very great impor-tance, I fancy, or I think I should remember thedetails of it. It was, however, enough to start himoff, and in a rage he roundly abused the theaterand its manager. As I before mentioned, he andMr. Webster had been at variance for some latter gentleman was hot-tempered and highlysensitive. Previous to my arrival in London heand the author had been quarreling and wranglingover their respective rights and wrongs. Mr. Bouci-cault, now that an opportunity offered of his speak-ing his mind before Mr. Websters company,launched forth against the manager, the theater,and its misrule with great energy. He denouncedthe whole establishment, spoke of his own experi-ence
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectjeffers, bookyear1890
