LONDON-February 23, 1909.
[DEAR MOTHER:]
George Washington's health was celebrated by drinking it
at dinner. I had been asked to speak at a banquet but for
some strange reason could not see myself in the part. The
great Frohman arrived last night and we are all agitated until
he speaks. If he would only like my plays as some of the
actors do, I would be passing rich. Barrie asked himself to
lunch yesterday and was very entertaining. He told us of a
letter he received from Guy DuMaurier who wrote "An
Englishman's Home" which has made a sensation second to
nothing in ten years. He is an officer stationed at a small
post in South Africa. He wrote Barrie he was at home, very
blue and homesick, and outside it was raining. Then came
Barrie's long cable, at 75 cents a word, saying his play was
the success of the year. He did not know even it had been
accepted. He shouted to his wife, and they tried to dance
but the hut was too small, so they ran out into the compound
and danced in the rain. Then he sent the Kaffir boys to the
mess to bring all the officers and all the champagne and they
did not go to bed at all. The next day
cables, still at three shillings a word came from papers and
magazines and publishers, managers, syndicates. And, in his
letter he says, still not appreciating what a fuss it has
made, "I suppose all it needs now is to be made a question in
the House," when already it has been the text of half a dozen
speeches by Cabinet Ministers, and three companies are playing
it in the provinces. What fun to have a success come in such
a way, not even to know it was being rehearsed. Today Sargent
is here to see what is wrong with Cecil's picture of Janet.
He came early and said he couldn't tell until he saw Janet, so
now he is back again, and both Janet and Cecil are shaking
with excitement. He is the most simple, kindly genius I ever
met. He says the head is very fine and I guess Cecil
suspected that, before she called him in. He says she must
send it to the Royal Academy. I am now going out to hear more
words fall from the great man, and so farewell. Seymour and I
began work yesterday on the Dictator. It went very smooth.
All my love to Noll and to you.
DICK.
Read the other letter first and then, let me tell you
that when I went out to see Sargent, I found Cecil complaining
that she could not understand just how it was he wanted Janet
to pose. Whereat she handed him a piece of chalk and he made
a sketch of Janet as exquisite as the morning and rubbed his
hands of the charcoal and left it there! It's only worth a
hundred pounds! Can you imagine the nerve of Cecil. I was so
shocked I could only gasp. But, he was quite charming and
begged her to call him next time she got in a scrape, and gave
her his private telephone number.
Fancy having Sargent waiting to be called up to make sketches
for you. I left Janet and Cecil giggling with happiness.
Janet because she had been sketched by him and Cecil because
she has the sketch. It's a three fourths length three feet
high, and he did it in ten minutes. I am now going to ask her
to invite the chef of the Ritz in, to give us a sketch of
cooking a dinner.
DICK.
