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                              _PENELOPE_

                             _THE PLAYS OF
                       WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM_

        Uniformly bound cloth, 2s 6d; paper covers, 1s 6d each

                           _LADY FREDERICK_
                           _JACK STRAW_
                           _A MAN OF HONOUR_
                           _MRS. DOT_
                           _THE EXPLORER_


                         _NOVELS BY THE SAME AUTHOR_

                         Price 6s each

                           _THE EXPLORER_
                           _THE MAGICIAN_
                           _THE MERRY-GO-ROUND_
                           _MRS. CRADDOCK_

                         _LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN_




                              _PENELOPE_

                              _A COMEDY_

                            _In Three Acts_

                          _BY W. S. MAUGHAM_

                      _LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN_
                               _MCMXII_

                           _Copyright 1912_

This play, originally called _Man and Wife_, was produced at the Comedy
Theatre on Saturday, January 9, 1909, with the following cast:


                  DR. O’FARRELL         W. GRAHAM BROWNE
                  PROFESSOR GOLIGHTLY      ALFRED BISHOP
                  DAVENPORT BARLOW            ERIC LEWIS
                  MR. BEADSWORTH            HERBERT ROSS
                  MR. ANDERSON              J. H. BREWER
                  MRS. FERGUSSON           NORMA WHALLEY
                  MRS. GOLIGHTLY             KATE BISHOP
                  MRS. WATSON       MRS. CHARLES CALVERT
                  PEYTON                 E. ARTHUR JONES
                  PENELOPE                 MARIE TEMPEST




                        _CHARACTERS_


                          PENELOPE
                          DR. O’FARRELL
                          PROFESSOR GOLIGHTLY
                          MRS. GOLIGHTLY
                          MR. DAVENPORT BARLOW
                          MRS. FERGUSSON
                          MR. BEADSWORTH
                          MRS. WATSON
                          A PATIENT
                          PEYTON


SCENE: _Dr. O’Farrell’s house in John Street, Mayfair_

TIME: _The Present Day_

_The Performing Rights of this play are fully protected, and permission
to perform it, whether by Amateurs or Professionals, must be obtained in
advance from the author’s Sole Agent, R. Golding Bright, 20 Green
Street, Leicester Square, London, W.C., from whom all particulars can be
obtained._




                               PENELOPE




THE FIRST ACT


     SCENE: _A drawing-room in_ O’FARRELL’S _house in John Street. It is
     very prettily but not extravagantly furnished. The_ O’FARRELLS _are
     a young married couple of modest income_.

     _It is between six and seven in the evening._

     PEYTON, _a neat parlour-maid, opens the door and shows in_ MR.
     DAVENPORT BARLOW.

     BARLOW _is a short, self-important person of middle age. He is very
     bald, red in the face, and wears a small, neatly curled moustache;
     he is dressed in the height of fashion. His manner is fussy and
     pompous. He comes forward as though he expected to find some one in
     the room. Seeing that it is empty, he stops and looks at_ PEYTON.
     _He cannot make out why there is no one to receive him._

BARLOW.

[_In a tone of surprise._] Is Mrs. O’Farrell not here?

PEYTON.

No, sir.

BARLOW.

H’m.... Will you let her know I’ve come?

PEYTON.

Mrs. O’Farrell is not at home, sir.

BARLOW.

Not at home?... But....

PEYTON.

Mrs. O’Farrell said, would you kindly sit down and make yourself
comfortable? And I was to give you the _Morning Post_.

BARLOW.

[_Pompously._] I can’t imagine why Mrs. O’Farrell should think I haven’t
read the _Morning Post_ at six o’clock in the evening.

PEYTON.

[_Imperturbably._] And Mrs. O’Farrell said, will you have a whisky and
soda, sir?

BARLOW.

But when is Mrs. O’Farrell coming in?

PEYTON.

I don’t know at all,