The Magistrate.
by Arthur Pinero.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
"THE MAGISTRATE" is, after "Sweet Lavender," perhaps the most popular of Mr. Pinero"s plays, and it is particularly interesting as being the first of his works in which his own individuality found absolutely independent expression, and emphatically and triumphantly a.s.serted itself. In fact, this farce marks an epoch in the dramatist"s career, and shows him creating a really new and original order of English comic play, the further development of which may be traced in the successive plays which, together with "The Magistrate," formed the famous Court series of farces, namely, "The Schoolmistress," "Dandy d.i.c.k," and "The Cabinet Minister."
Because Mr. Pinero had previously written "The Rocket," and "In Chancery," for Mr. Edward Terry, who has performed them times out of number in London and the provinces with considerable success, it has been a.s.sumed that "The Magistrate" was also written for Mr. Terry. But this was not the case. As a matter of fact Mr. Pinero wrote the play quite independently, and on its completion he was to have read it to Mr. Charles Wyndham, but the necessities of the Court Theatre intervened. The management of the late Mr. John Clayton and Arthur Cecil was decidedly in low water in 1884 and the earlier part of 1885; play after play had been produced without success, when at length application was made to Mr. Pinero for a new piece. They had been performing serious plays, and he read them "The Weaker s.e.x," which he had written some little time before; but Mr. Clayton felt uncertain about this play, which, by the way, Mr. and Mrs. Kendal have since produced, and then Mr. Pinero, mentioning the new comic play he had just finished, suggested that perhaps an entirely new order of entertainment might serve to change the fortunes of the house. "The Magistrate" was immediately accepted and produced, and his conjecture proved correct, for the luck of the theatre promptly turned.
"The Magistrate" was produced at the Court Theatre on Sat.u.r.day, March 21, 1885, with a cast, particulars of which will be found in the following copy of the first night programme:--
THE MAGISTRATE
THE FIRST ACT
_The scene represents a well-furnished drawing-room in the house of MR. POSKET in Bloomsbury._
_BEATIE TOMLINSON, a pretty, simply dressed little girl of about sixteen, is playing the piano, as CIS FARRINGDON, a manly youth wearing an Eton jacket, enters the room._
CIS.
Beatie!
BEATIE.
Cis dear! Dinner isn"t over, surely?
CIS.
Not quite. I had one of my convenient headaches and cleared out.
[_Taking an apple and some cobnuts from his pocket and giving them to BEATIE._] These are for you, dear, with my love. I sneaked "em off the sideboard as I came out.
BEATIE.
Oh, I mustn"t take them!
CIS.
Yes, you may--it"s my share of dessert. Besides, it"s a horrid shame you don"t grub with us.
BEATIE.
What, a poor little music mistress!
CIS.
Yes. They"re only going to give you four guineas a quarter. Fancy getting a girl like you for four guineas a quarter--why, an eighth of you is worth more than that! Now peg away at your apple.
[_Produces a cigarette._
BEATIE.
There"s company at dinner, isn"t there?
[_Munching her apple._
CIS.
Well, hardly. Aunt Charlotte hasn"t arrived yet, so there"s only old Bullamy.
BEATIE.
Isn"t old Bullamy anybody?
CIS.
Old Bullamy--well, he"s only like the guv"nor, a police magistrate at the Mulberry Street Police Court.
BEATIE.
Oh, does each police court have two magistrates?
CIS.
[_Proudly._] All the best have two.
BEATIE.
Don"t they quarrel over getting the interesting cases? I should.
CIS.
I don"t know how they manage--perhaps they toss up who"s to hear the big sensations. There"s a Mrs. Beldam, who is rather a bore sometimes; I know the Guv always lets old Bullamy attend to her. But, as a rule, I fancy they go half and half, in a friendly way. [_Lighting cigarette._] For instance, if the guv"nor wants to go to the Derby he lets old Bullamy have the Oaks--and so on, see?
[_He sits on the floor, comfortably reclining against BEATIE, and puffing his cigarette._
BEATIE.
Oh, I say, Cis, won"t your mamma be angry when she finds I haven"t gone home?
CIS.
Oh, put it on to your pupil. Say I"m very backward.
BEATIE.