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took his degree he went into the matter. He found he would require a large sum to be paid as a premium when joining a respectable company, would have to serve a long term for a nominal salary, and to undergo certain indignities that would render his new life anything but tempting. His aspirations and hopes went to the four winds of heaven. Under the present system the stage is not an outlet for such young men as the Universities turn out. It would be a precarious living for a young man who would have to rely upon, not his pocket, but his brains. The writer fell The writer fell back upon the profession his gentle mother and dear old Rector had called him to. He is in it now, and steadily doing his duty too. But his heart is on the stage.

During the last five years he has read nearly everything from Euripides and Sophocles down to Oscar Wilde and Arthur Pinero. And to illustrate the extent to which he carries his hobby he will mention one instance out of many. One evening, in the Parish Room, he saw in the Graphic a glowing account of "Charlie's Aunt." Next evening he was at the Globe theatre witnessing the antics of the dear old girl. Next morning he was back in his Welsh parish, without anyone being any the wiser as to his little bit of dissipation. His sides ached for some time.

Now, readers, would you like to know what an enthusiast thinks of the Welsh drama. For certain reasons of his own he went this year into all the details of the

matter.

The Welsh people have always been, in their relations to the stage, very Puritanical. Many, many, years ago, the stage and most of those connected with it were steeped in vice and immorality,-a characteristic that has now happily all but disappeared. The stage is now as pure as any other similar body of men and women. But, partial as we may be to the stage, we dare not say it is, even now, in that respect, perfect. But is there a church or a chapel we could say so much of? The cause of it being now removed, I believe the Welsh Puritanical spirit of bigotry against the stage is also dying, may I not even say, dead?

Then there is the language difficulty, as it would affect both the company and

the audience. If you were to collect all the existing Welsh actors and actresses together they would be hardly sufficient in point of number to form a company. But there is no reason, certainly, why an entirely new company should not be trained. It would have to be a duoglot one. The population of Wales is something over two millions, a little less than half that of London. A very large proportion of the two millions is entirely English, especially in the large centres of population,-Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, &c. Cardiff, Swansea, &c. The Welsh colonies in the large English towns could hardly be counted upon counted upon for purposes of a Welsh drama. The Welsh population of Wales is too small and too scattered to maintain a monoglot Welsh company going, all through the year. Only let the company be a duoglot one that could give representations in English as well as Welsh, and it would have all the theatrical world before it,-as well as Wales.

A much more serious difficulty, however, is the non-existence of dramas. True there never has been any demand for them. There have been no rewards, pecuniary or otherwise, to induce men to write. And, possibly, playwrights,-like poets,-are born, not made. There is not at present, to my knowledge, anything that we could seriously designate a drama. Some attempts,-praisworthy attempts,—have certainly been made, but of quite an amateurish kind. But really this is not an insurmountable difficulty either; for we might get adaptations and translations of all kinds of English and foreign masterpieces.

The Eisteddfod Association goes out of its way to offer a substantial prize, and make all the fuss in the world over a piece of poetry that ninety-five per cent. of Welshmen,-including probably the Eisteddfod Association,-never afterwards see; and, even if they did see it, would not,any more than yours truly,-understand one half of it. What is a paltry sum of £10 for a drama,-offered at Carnarvon; and three reverend adjudicators, forsooth, who would not have dared to darken the doors of a theatre, unless,-and tell it not in Gath,-on the sly, when up in town.

The Eisteddfod Association must offer a

grand prize, leave the subject open, and give one Eisteddfod night to have the prize drama staged and acted. Before another Eisteddfod came round the whole of Wales would have seen and appreciated it. And the successful author as well as some of the unsuccessful ones would have pocketed good round sums in the shape of acting fees for their dramas.

The last point to mention is the want of theatres, and even of suitable halls in Wales. This difficulty might be got over by taking along with the company a marquee, or, as it would be technically called, a "portable theatre."

Now who wants to form a Welsh Theatrical Company? If it is to be a respectable one and to succeed, the following must be the estimate. It is not a random one, but correct, and based upon details carefully gone into.

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BY DANIEL OWEN,

Author of The Autobiography of Rhys Lewis, Gwen Tomos, &c.

Translated from the Welsh by the HON. CLAUD VIVIAN.

CHAPTER XI.

ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FENCE.

AS has been said, someone knocked at the door

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of the Cross Shop, which put a stop to Enoch Hughes' soliloquy. In a minute Enoch heard Margaret dragging herself along the lobby, and grumbling. He listened attentively, expecting to hear her laying down the law to Mrs. Bennet, or old Murphy, for bothering after closing time. Instead of this he heard her say Come in," and then Margaret flung open the office door, in her usual manner, without knocking, and said,"Come in, my girl. Master,-oh lawks!—you have been smoking unconscionably; you are sure to kill yourself one of these days. Here's a letter from Captain Trevor, and the girl wants an answer."

It was lucky for Enoch that he had a sprinkling of flour over his face, for, but for that, Margaret and the girl would have been able to see that he turned white the moment Captain Trevor's name was mentioned. With shaking hands Enoch opened the letter and read it. It only contained a few words,

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It was with considerable difficulty that Enoch was able to write a line to send back by the bearer, saying that he would come to Ty'nyrardd in half an hour's time. He had presence of mind enough to think of naming "half an hour," in order to have time to wash and dress himself. Enoch asked Margaret for a candle.

"What does the Captain want with you, master?" asked Margaret, with her usual freedom. "Business," said Enoch quickly; which word sually acted as a talisman on Margaret. But its

effect this time was not entirely successful, and she said,

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Business, at this time of night? What business have you got to do now?"

"The Fly Wheel Company has got out of its latitude, and there is something the matter with the bramoke," said Enoch, quite seriously.

But

Margaret of course had nothing to say against this, and the candle was fetched at once. Enoch's mind was much disturbed, his heart was beating quickly, and his nerves working like a factory. After washing, he had a great job in putting on his best clothes, and when he tried to put a clean collar round his neck, he thought he never would manage it, so violently did his hands shake. He thought, more than once, that he would have to call Margaret to help him. He succeeded at last, but not before the sweat was oozing out of his forehead like beads. After tidying himself as best he could, he hastened downstairs, and to his surprise the first thing he saw was Margaret with Captain Trevor's note in her hands, thumbing it as if trying to read it, though she didn't know a letter of the alphabet. It would have been a pleasure to Enoch to have given her a box on the ears, but he restrained himself, as he had done hundreds of times before.

"I should like to be a scholard, master, to be able to understand business," said Margaret, unconcernedly putting the note on the table and leaving the room.

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You are enough of a scholar for me, you old bag," said Enoch to himself, putting on his boots. Before starting out Enoch read Captain Trevor's letter over again, and when he came to the words,which he had not taken particular notice of before, I want to talk to you on a matter of importance to you and me," he blushed to the roots of his hair. What could be the meaning of these words? asked Enoch. Could it be possible that his thoughts about Miss Trevor, through some means he knew nothing of, had become known to the Captain? Enoch felt sure he had not spoken a word about it to any living soul. And yet, he thought, the Captain must have got to know all. Had his face or his conduct betrayed him? Or had someone read his inmost thoughts, and

informed the Captain about them? The Captain himself was a very clever man, and, perhaps, a bit of a thought reader. Was it possible that he had found him out, and that he was inviting him to Ty'nyrardd to rebuke him for his presumption ? Had he himself been talking in his sleep, had Margaret heard him, and had she been jabbering about it? And so Enoch went on asking himself a hundred and more questions, the one more silly than the other, and he heartily repented within himself of his promise to go to Ty'nyrardd. He thought of inventing an excuse for breaking his promise, and of sending a note to that effect by Margaret. But he at once remembered that she would not be able to get her boots on, because her feet were in the habit of swelling at nights, and did not come to their natural size till the morning. The half hour was up, and he must either go or stay away. He looked in the small glass he had in the office, and perceived that his face looked lean and white, and would be likely to make the impression on anyone who saw it that its proprietor was not likely to live long. He rubbed his cheeks, summoned all the courage he possessed, and set out for Ty'nyrardd. Enoch hoped that, no matter what else happened, he would not be seen by Miss Trevor that night. He felt that this was the greatest struggle he had ever made, and that his future happiness depended entirely on this his first visit to Ty'nyrardd. Between himself and the post, he had been accustomed to call himself "a weak cat," but he never imagined that he was really like one till this night. When he knocked at the door of Ty'nyrardd he felt his legs giving way under him, and he had to lean against the wall to prevent himself from falling, whilst he was waiting for the door to be opened. He was led into a room, which was called the “smoking room," by Captain Trevor, and it was not displeasing to Enoch to perceive that there was no one there but the Captain and Mr. Denman. Mr. Denman had no doubt been brought there, Enoch thought, as a witness; and he felt that the matter had taken an important aspect in the Captain's mind, and he never in his life was more glad of a chair to sit down in than the one which was handed to him, cheerfully and hospitably, by the Captain himself.

"The Captain," reflected Enoch, "must look favourably on the matter, else he is acting the hypocrite in order to find out the truth."

"I hope, Mr. Hughes," said the Captain, "that you are well, though I must say,-it is not complimentary, I know,—that I have seen you looking better. You work too hard, I am sure. You people who are doing well, I am afraid, take too much out of your bodies. The body must have rest, or the penalty will have to be paid somehow,

you know. You must look, as the saying goes, after number one. Your business, I know, is large, and it is necessary for someone to look after it. But take care, Mr. Hughes. I always say that making money is not everything in this old world, and though it is necessary to have it,”("He wants to find out how much I am worth," said Enoch to himself),-" we must always remember that there is another world after this, musn't we, Mr. Denman? Whilst it is our duty to make the best we can of the two worlds, we must take care of the body, as I have said, and not fall, when the sun is shining smilingly on us, into an untimely grave. I think, Mr. Hughes,-forgive my boldness,—that that is your danger. The world is smiling on you,"-(" He is trying to pump me," thought Enoch),- "but remember that your nature will only stand a certain amount of weight, and if you put too much strain on the machinery it is sure to break."

"I have-have-have hurried-a little,—because I didn't-want-to keep you, Captain Trevor,— waiting for me. To tell the truth-I have-lost my breath-blown-as they say-and I am not -a Samson style of a man," said Enoch, with difficulty.

indeed it was I who

"You were foolish, Mr. Hughes," said the Captain, "for half an hour is neither here nor there at this time of night. There was no need for you to hurry in the least; ought really to have gone to you, Mr. Hughes; for the matter about which I wish to talk to you has more to do with me,-at my time of life,-than with you. Next spring, please God, I shall,— well, a man of my age ought to know a thing or two; his mind is made up, and no small thing will turn it."("It is looking very black for me," whispered Enoch in his heart).

"The matter, Mr. Hughes," repeated the Captain, "that I want to talk to you seriously about, is one very near my heart, as Mr. Denman knows. It is, so to speak, my only child, and whatever your determination about it may be, I. am not going to let go of it.-("It's all up with me," thought Enoch).-Mr. Denman is, as you know, a father of children, and he must, as I must, take the future and the comfort of his family into consideration, and he is of exactly the same opinion as I am about this subject. The matter I want to speak to you about, Mr. Hughes, is not a new thing to me; it is not a thing of yesterday or the day before."-("That's true enough," thought Enoch, "but how in the world did he get to know of it ?")" No, I have lost many a night's sleep in consequence of it, although I have never hinted a word about it up to the present even to Mrs. Trevor, to whom I ought to have made it known

first of all, for she is as much connected with it as I am myself, so far as the comfort of the family is in question. But you know, Mr. Hughes, though you are an old bachelor,-I beg your pardon, you are not an old bachelor yet, nor intend to be one, I should think,-but, though you are unmarried, you know women don't look at things in the same way as men do. Women look at things through their hearts,-everything is sentiment, but we men have to look at things through the eye of common sense. 'How do I feel about it ?' is what a woman asks; but 'How ought it to be?' is what a man asks."-("I should like him to come to the point and have done with it," said Enoch in his bosom)." But what I was saying is that the matter I want to talk to you about is not a new matter to me, and Mr. Denman is the only man that I have mentioned a word about it to,-is it not so, Mr. Denman ?"

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"Yes," said Mr. Denman, "and I must say the Captain is a very sharp man. I could scarcely believe the thing at first, but the Captain is serious and determined with regard to the matter, and I advised him to send for you here to-night. I thought it was better to see you on the matter, Mr. Hughes, than to write a letter to you." "Just so," said the Captain, we both agreed that it was better for us to come face to face, so as to get a proper understanding on the point. It may be indeed, Mr. Hughes, and doubtlessly it will be necessary for us,—even if you fall in with our project,—to have some one else in, such as Mr. Lloyd, the attorney, in this business, though we wish to narrow it to the smallest possible limit."("He means the marriage settlement, I expect," said Enoch in his bosom, and his heart beat more quickly). I have, with some little craftiness," continued the Captain, "already secured the 'virgin ground,' as the saying goes,"-("Thanks, if she is agreeable, but I am just fainting," said Enoch in himself), but the question is will you, Mr. Hughes, be willing to join in the venture, that is, if I succeed in showing you the advantage of the thing?"

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Enoch was just about to say, "I'm sure I shall be willing," when the Captain continued,— "I am afraid, Mr. Hughes, that you don't feel well; your looks show so, clearly. Come here, sir, and lie down on the sofa for a minute. You have over-worked yourself, and your digestion, perhaps, is out of order. Lie down, Mr. Hughes, I will get something to restore you."

Enoch felt himself quite powerless, and obeyed the Captain's invitation. Though he was furious with himself for being such a "weak cat," he felt sure that he was going fo faint. The Captain opened the door of the room and shouted loudly,—

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Susie, bring a little brandy here at once." "No, no," said Enoch, for he had not fainted, 'I shall be all right directly.”

"You must take something, Mr. Hughes, to restore yourself. You have over-worked yourself," said the Captain.

Thinking that it was for her father that the brandy was wanted, Susie came hastily into the room with the usual quantum, which, to say the least, was "stiff." Susie was much astonished when she saw Enoch Hughes lying on the sofa, with his face as white as chalk, and her heart was stirred, for even Miss Trevor had a heart,—and she said tenderly,

"Oh, dear Mr. Hughes, you are ill! Oh, I am sorry, really I am. Take this, dear Mr. Hughes, do," and she put her arm round his neck to help him to raise his head.

Enoch had been a teetotaller from birth, but how could he refuse? His hand shook so much that he could not hold the glass steady, and Susie took the glass in her own hand, and placed it to his lips. The spirit was so hot, and Enoch so utterly unaccustomed to it, that tears sprang to 1.is eyes when he swallowed it.

"Don't cry, dear Mr. Hughes, you will soon be better. Come, take it all," said Susie, either kindly, or perhaps to make fun of him.

And take it he did; and if the contents of the glass had been deadly poison, and he had known it, he could not have refused it from that fair and tender hand.

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Thank you," said Enoch, falteringly. All at once he felt extremely happy all over. After a few minutes he felt desirous to sing a song, and half expected someone to ask him to do so, and he began to suck his memory as to which song he knew best, and he fixed on Y Deryn du Pigfelyn if he was asked. As no one asked him to sing, he did not think it correct to offer to do so on his own account. After a long pause, a sort of stupor came over him, but he was afraid to close his eyes lest he should go to sleep, for he remembered that he was a snorer, and he would not, for a thousand pounds, have had Susie know that he belonged to that class of animals. At one time he thought that he was in a fever, and at another that he was dreaming. But he could not be dreaming, for he was quite certain that Susie, Captain Trevor, and Mr. Denman were looking at him. At times they seemed far away from him, and very small, at another time alongside of him,-painfully near,more especially the Captain and Mr. Denman. He felt desirous of speaking to Susie, and of telling his whole mind to her, and he knew he

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