The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Second Mrs. Tanqueray, by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero

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Title: The Second Mrs. Tanqueray

A Play in Four Acts

Author: Sir Arthur Wing Pinero

Release Date: September 11, 2012 [eBook #40736]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECOND MRS. TANQUERAY***

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THE SECOND MRS. TANQUERAY

THE PLAYS OF ARTHUR W. PINERO

WITH INTRODUCTORY NOTES
By MALCOLM C. SALAMAN

Paper cover, 1s. 6d.; cloth, 2s. 6d. each

• THE TIMES
• THE PROFLIGATE
• THE CABINET MINISTER
• THE HOBBY-HORSE
• LADY BOUNTIFUL
• THE MAGISTRATE
• DANDY DICK
• SWEET LAVENDER
• THE SCHOOLMISTRESS
• THE WEAKER SEX
• THE AMAZONS
• THE SECOND MRS. TANQUERAY
• THE NOTORIOUS MRS. EBBSMITH
• THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT
• THE PRINCESS AND THE BUTTERFLY
• TRELAWNY OF THE "WELLS"

THE PINERO BIRTHDAY BOOK

Selected and arranged by Myra Hamilton
With a Portrait. 16mo, cloth, 2s. 6d.

LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN

THE SECOND
MRS. TANQUERAY

A PLAY

In Four Acts

By ARTHUR W. PINERO

LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN
MCM

First Impression, 1895
Second Impression, 1898
Third Impression, 1900

Copyright, 1895
All rights reserved
Entered at Stationers' Hall
Entered at the Library of Congress
Washington, U.S.A.

All applications respecting amateur performances of this play must be made to Mr. Pinero's agents, Samuel French, Limited, 89 Strand, London, W.C.

THIS PLAY WAS PRODUCED
AT THE

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE

ON
Saturday, May 27, 1893.

THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY

• Aubrey Tanqueray.
• Paula.
• Ellean.
• Cayley Drummle.
• Mrs. Cortelyon.
• Captain Hugh Ardale.
• Gordon Jayne, M.D.
• Frank Misquith, Q.C., M.P.
• Sir George Orreyed, Bart.
• Lady Orreyed.
• Morse.

The Present Day.

The Scene of the First Act is laid at Mr. Tanqueray's rooms, No. 2x, The Albany, in the month of November; the occurrences of the succeeding Acts take place at his house, "Highercoombe," near Willowmere, Surrey, during the early part of the following year.

THE SECOND MRS. TANQUERAY

THE FIRST ACT

Aubrey Tanqueray's Chambers in the Albany—a richly and tastefully decorated room, elegantly and luxuriously furnished: on the right a large pair of doors opening into another room, on the left at the further end of the room a small door leading to a bedchamber. A circular table is laid for a dinner for four persons which has now reached the stage of dessert and coffee. Everything in the apartment suggests wealth and refinement. The fire is burning brightly.

Aubrey Tanqueray, Misquith, and Jayne are seated at the dinner-table. Aubrey is forty-two, handsome, winning in manner, his speech and bearing retaining some of the qualities of young-manhood. Misquith is about forty-seven, genial and portly. Jayne is a year or two Misquith's senior; soft-speaking and precise—in appearance a type of the prosperous town physician. Morse, Aubrey's servant, places a little cabinet of cigars and the spirit-lamp on the table beside Aubrey, and goes out.

Misquith.

Aubrey, it is a pleasant yet dreadful fact to contemplate, but it's nearly fifteen years since I first dined with you. You lodged in Piccadilly in those days, over a hat-shop. Jayne, I met you at that dinner, and Cayley Drummle.

Jayne.

Yes, yes. What a pity it is that Cayley isn't here to-night.

Aubrey.

Confound the old gossip! His empty chair has been staring us in the face all through dinner. I ought to have told Morse to take it away.

Misquith.

Odd, his sending no excuse.

Aubrey.

I'll walk round to his lodgings later on and ask after him.

Misquith.

I'll go with you.

Jayne.

So will I.

Aubrey.

[Opening the cigar-cabinet.] Doctor, it's useless to tempt you, I know. Frank—[Misquith and Aubrey smoke.] I particularly wished Cayley Drummle to be one of us to-night. You two fellows and Cayley are my closest, my best friends——

Misquith.

My dear Aubrey!

Jayne.

I rejoice to hear you say so.

Aubrey.

And I wanted to see the three of you round this table. You can't guess the