[Illustration:  Mr. Terriss as the Good Fairy.]

Then must commence his senility; then he would begin to break up.  A struggle, to show that there was life in the old dog yet, could be seen when the old dog had been out hunting, in Act II., and had shot some strange animal, something between a stag and a dromedary, which no doubt was a native of Britain in those good old sporting days.  However, more of this anon.  Suffice it to say now, that our HENRY IRVING’S Lear is a triumph in every respect, and that the audience only wanted a little more of Cordelia, which is the fault of the immortal and unequal Bard.

To those unacquainted with this play, Mr. TERRISS’S sudden appearance in somewhat anti-Lord-Chamberlain attire, as he bounded on, with a wand, and struck an attitude, was suggestive of the Good Fairy in the pantomime; and his subsequent proceedings, when he didn’t change anybody into Harlequin, Clown, and so forth, puzzled the unlearned spectators considerably.  But Mr. TERRISS came out all right, and acquitted himself (being his own judge and jury) to the satisfaction of the public.  His speech about Dover Cliff, generally supposed to convey some allusion to the Channel Tunnel, was excellently delivered, and certainly after Lear, “on the spear side,” Mr. TERRISS must take the Goodeley Cake.

Next to him in order of merit comes Mr. FRANK COOPER, as the wicked Edmund, on whom the good EDMUND, “Edmundus Mundi,” smiled benignantly from a private box.  There was on the first night a great reception given to HOWE—­the veteran actor, not the wreck, and very far from it—­who took the small part of an old Evicted Tenant of the Earl of Glo’ster, a character very carefully played by Mr. ALFRED BISHOP, Floreat Henricus! “Our HENRY” has his work cut out for him in this “Titanic work,” as in his before-curtain and after-play speech he termed it.  This particular “Titanic work” is (or certainly was that night) in favour with “the gods,” who “very much applauded what he’d done.”  But the gods of old were not quite so favourable to “Titanic work” generally, and punished eternally Titanic workmen.  To-night gods and groundlings applaud to the echo, and then everyone goes home as best he can in about as beautiful a specimen of a November fog as ever delighted a Jack-o’-Lantern or disgusted

PRIVATE BOX.

* * * * *

AN OPERATIC NOTE.—­Wednesday.—­Lord Mayor’s Day and Sheriff Sir AUGUSTUS DRURIOLANUS’S Show. L’ Amico Fritz, or “The old Min is friendly,” as Dick Swiveller would have put it.  Not by any means as bright as Cavalleria.  Mlle. DEL TORRE, del-lightful as Suzel.  M. DUFRICHE, very good as Rabbino; CREMONINI, weak as Fritz; and Mlle. MARTHA-CUPID-BAUERMEISTER, good as usual in the part of the “harmless necessary Cat"-erina. Opera generally “going strong.”