Judging by my first act,
Mr. Westwick, tell me truly, and don't be afraid of turning my head:--
Am I not capable of writing a good play?'
Henry paused between the First and Second Acts; reflecting, not on
the merits of the play, but on the strange resemblance which
the incidents so far presented to the incidents that had attended
the disastrous marriage of the first Lord Montbarry.
Was it possible that the Countess, in the present condition of her mind,
supposed herself to be exercising her invention when she was only
exercising her memory?
The question involved considerations too serious to be made
the subject of a hasty decision. Reserving his opinion, Henry turned
the page, and devoted himself to the reading of the next act.
The manuscript proceeded as follows:--
'The Second Act opens at Venice. An interval of four months
has elapsed since the date of the scene at the gambling table.
The action now takes place in the reception-room of one of the
Venetian palaces.
'The Baron is discovered, alone, on the stage. He reverts to
the events which have happened since the close of the First Act.
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