“But I made a particular study of a Harley Street surgeon in the character of Dr. Wentall—a most careful study, in detail.”
“Well, go round to the Vicarage and make a fresh study there. You’ve got a fortnight.”
“Then, again, the whole scheme of the play would be affected. There would be insuperable difficulties in getting my characters on and off the stage. As patients visiting a doctor their comings and goings are in perfectly natural sequence.”
“You can fix that all right.” Manning dismissed such a trivial objection with a wave of the hand.
“And now,” said Eliphalet pleasantly, “about the part of the wife, Pauline?”
“You wouldn’t alter her? I—I thought she was rather good.”
“Admitted. But as it happens we have a young lady in our present company who, although charming, is scarcely capable of realising your intentions in this part.”
“But wouldn’t it be better to engage someone who was capable?” suggested Lennard.
“That would be rather shirking a responsibility, when it would be easy for you to modify and simplify the emotions she would be asked to portray.”
“I don’t understand.”