"I have a play in my mind," he replied gravely. "To-morrow I am going to
shut myself up in my room, and stay there until it is written. George Alexander
has been bothering me to write a play for some time and I've got an idea
I rather like. I wonder can I do it in a week, or will it take three? It
ought not to take long to beat the Pineros and the Joneses." It always annoyed
Oscar when any other name but his came into men's mouths: his vanity was
extraordinarily alert.

Naturally enough he minimised Mr. Alexander's initiative. The well-known actor
had "bothered" Oscar by advancing him L100 before the scenario was even
outlined. A couple of months later he told me that Alexander had accepted
his comedy, and was going to produce "Lady Windermere's Fan." I thought the
title excellent.

"Territorial names," Oscar explained, gravely, "have always a "cachet" of
distinction: they fall on the ear full toned with secular dignity. That's how
I get all the names of my personages, Frank. I take up a map of the English
counties, and there they are. Our English villages have often exquisitely
beautiful names. Windermere, for instance, or Hunstanton," and he rolled the
syllables over his tongue with a soft sensual pleasure.

I had a box the first night and, thinking it might do Oscar some good, I took
with me Arthur Walter of "The Times". The first scene of the first act was as
old as the hills, but the treatment gave charm to it if not freshness. The
delightful, unexpected humour set off the commonplace incident; but it was only
the convention that Arthur Walter would see. The play was poor, he thought,
which brought me to wonder.

After the first act I went downstairs to the "foyer" and found the critics in