THEATRE ROYAL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4331, 31 January 1893, Page 3

THEATRE ROYAL.

"The Wages of Sin."

The sensational drama " The Wages of Sin," which will be represented by the Ilolloway Company at the Theatre Royal this evening, was written by Frank Harvey and first produced in London at the time the great "Church and Stage" controversy was occupying so much attention, Its mn was simply phenomenal, hundred* being turned away from the doors every night. The story of the play in that of a young girl, Hutb Hope, the ward of a wealthy mill owner, Mr Dean, Ituih has two mites-one. whom she loves secretly t-ut devoutly, tho Uov. Georuo lirmide, a man of Stealing worth; and tho other his cousin Stephen Marler, a villain who to have successfully adopted aR his guiding principle in lite, " Evil, be thou my good"-a man who is a complete embodiment of callous selfish • noss, but by no means the traditional Btago villian thirsty for rovon»e and and ostensibly aiming at spectacular effects. The clergyman in a charming little love eoene is virtually accepted, but the final answer is postponed. In | the meantime Marler overhears that Ruth will on her marriage become possessed of a sum of LluOO, and for tho purpose of securing this money plots to make Ruth his wife. To do this he, by threats and blandishments, contrives to get a pretty mill hand, Barbara Dale, whom he has ruined, to tell tho lio on which the plot turns. Euth has taken a deep interest in Barbara, and tries with sisterly affection to befriend her, and Barbara at the instigation of Marler, imputes her ruin to the clergyman, Of course Brande is discarded, and when he calls for his answor, without a word of explanation, tho cup of happinoss is dashed from his lips, and he is humiliated by the acceptance in his presence of his rival, In the nest scene Ruth appears as the despised, neglected, and poverty-strickon wife of Stephen Marler, The scene is a London garret, and even this miserablo shelter is afforded to herself, her child, and her worse than worthless husband by the kindness of the landlady, a Mrß Blogss, a poor woman whose kindness of heart more

than compensates for any lack of relinemont. Mrs Eloggs is grotesquo enough, and her daughter Juliana is immensely amusing, so that between them they impart the essential element of oomedy to the play, l'r Brande finds Ruth in Ibis destitute condition, herself famished, and her child perißbing, and to save her child Ruth accepts help from her former suitor; hut Warier, however, returns, and by force takes the money from his wife, who then, in the madness of despair, goes into the street, snatches a gentleman's purso, and reaches botno with it to find her child dead, Sho is tracked by the owner of thepuiseand ihe, constable, the pufte is found, lite owner refuses to prosecute, but the officer insists, Mar ler returns drunk in company with a worthless pal, and finds the child dead and the mother distracted, and the curtain falls on a scene th 4 is exceedingly painlul, Next Euth is found again in the old homo, living with her genorous guardian, but iB again driven to London owini» to the Crinioand villainy of her husband, and when again living in abjeofc poverty, tbo poor mill hand, Iter husband's other victim, finds her, confesses the lie she had told, and craves

forgiveness. Then in a state bordering on madness Ruth seeks ber hiißband, finds bim hiding from tho officers of the law, threatens to denounce him, aud he attempts to murder her, but is prevented by Brando, who engages iu a desprrato struggle, at tho termination of which Marler is accidentally shot by one of his companions who has como to his assistance. The last scene provides sunshine after so many fibadowß, and to Ruth open up a prospect of love and happiness,