TRIED AND TRUE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2346, 23 September 1880, Page 2

TRIED AND TRUE.

The Christchurch Theatre Royal company open in Timaru on Monday in the above drama. We subjoin a description of the plot : —The chief character in the play is Helen Burton —the motherless daughter of an irreclaimable tippler, who has sacrificed liberty and independence by mari'ying again the owner of six houses and the mother of a girl about the same age as Helen. In her mother’s house Helen is the victim of such continuous cruelty that she resolves to free herself from it by death ; she is rescued from a watery grave by Mother Wrigloy—the leader of a club of thieves—and after a year’s compulsory residence in their pandemonium effects her escape by committing a theft with the preconceived determination of being arrested for the crime; she is committed to prison, and penance in a reformatory follows. An enthusiastic patroness of these institutions takes her at the expiration of her self-imposed punishment,transfers her to a friend, and Helen appears as the trusted aud loved companion of Mrsßavenscroft, a widow lady of wealth. In her new home Helen meets and secretly loves Geoffrey Laud fern, a gentleman artist, and the identical man whose watch she had pretended to steal. Unconscious of this, he loves and resolves to marry her. Notwithstanding Mrs liavenscroft’s prudential arguments, he hurries his confession and proposal to Helen, who, tortured by love and fear and the dictates of honour, begs time to answer. At this juncture she is surprized and betrayed by one of her old thieving persecutors, Alice Rugg. She begs her silence, which Alice promises on being bribed with a costly chain. Mrs iiavenscroft. anxious to smooth the course of true love publicly announces to Helen that she adopts her as her daughter. In the tumult of joy and gratitude as she embraces her newly found mother, Helen is petrified at hearing herself! denounced as a thief by Mother Wrigley, who has been informed of her whereabouts by the betrayer, Al ice Rugg. The scene is now trans-

furred to Helen’s former home. She is living with her father, and is the affianced wife of GeoJfrey Landfern, who, only momentarily paralysed by Mother Wrigiey’s terrible revelations, still believes in the parity and innocence of the woman he loves. Helen is now surprised and shocked by a visit from Lord l'’it/.eustace, a nobleman who had professed groat admiration for her, but who now takes advantage of her situation and proposes to place illo,ooo at her disposal, the amount of a bet with his college chum, Geoffrey Landfern, and devote himself to her in any capacity save that of husband. Helen spurns him in virtuous indignation ; he repents his error, and leaving a written offer of marriage withdraws. His visit is immediately followed by GeoJfrey’s father, who accuses her of ruining his son, threatens to disinherit him, and, in reply to her agonising reiterations of affection, offers a healing balm of ilbOO. He looks very stupid at being obliged to stoop to pick up (he money, which is dashed at his feet by Helen in a state of frantic grief. Helen resolves to save her lover’s honour, accepts the offer of Lord ifitzcustace, and agrees to become his wife. The two lovers arrive simultaneously, and agony, remorse, and love are all racking the heroine’s breast. Her marriage with the man she detests approaches, and poor Helen’s reason begins to totter as this, the culmination of her woes, threatens her, when her tippling parent arrives and stops the wedding with the news that he played the eavesdropper during the interview between his daughter and Landfern, senior. He relates what passed, convinces everybody of Helen’s purity and goodness, poetic justice is done, aud the curtain descends on a scene of especial happiness. For the motif of the fourth act, the author acknowledges his indebtedness to Alexander Dumas’s famous work, “ The Lady of the Gamclias.”