Helena Faucit (Lady Martin)

Dante Rossetti's pictures-Enthusiastic reception in Glasgow-
Acts in Liverpool - Her Lady Macbeth described by Sir
Edward Russell-Meetings with Mr Macready-Farewell

performances in Manchester-Professor A. W. Ward on her

Juliet Her conception of Portia-Her treatment of the

trial scene-Farewell performances-Illness of the Prince

of Wales

308

CHAPTER XV.

At Birmingham festival-Mr Webster's farewell benefit-Her

Lady Teazle-Performs for Royal Theatrical Fund-Letter

from M. Regnier-Laying foundation-stone at Stratford of

the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre-Reading for Llangollen

Cottage Hospital-Letter to Bishop of Manchester on state

of the stage

331

CHAPTER XVI.

Reading at Glasgow for sufferers by failure of the Glasgow Bank

-Acting at opening of Stratford Theatre -A noticeable

home reading-Last appearance on the stage-Great recep-

tion in Manchester-Becomes Lady Martin-Presented at

Drawing-room-Letter to Miss Beersmans-Begins Letters

on Shakespeare's heroines

353

CHAPTER XVII.

Starts for Italy-The Meiningen Company of actors-Visit to

St Andrews - Reads to St Andrews students - Visit to

Windsor Castle - Dangerous neuralgic illness - Extracts

from Diary-Mr and Miss Browning at Llangollen-Visit

to Cannes-Madame Lind Goldschmidt-Reading for Llan-

gollen Public Library-Her Majesty the Queen at Bryntysilio

-Death of Robert Browning-Memorial to him in Llantysilio

Church-Letter to Miss Stokes-Views on the drama-Death

PHOTOGRAVURE PLATES.

HELENA FAUCIT

From a drawing by Miss Clara Lane.

PAULINE IN THE LADY OF LYONS
From a painting by Miss Myra Drummond.

ANTIGONE

From a drawing by Sir Frederic Burton.

BRYNTYSILIO FROM THE GARDEN

LADY MARTIN, 1881 .

From a drawing by Miss Annette Elias,

UNIV. OF

LIFE OF HELENA FAUCIT

(LADY MARTIN).

CHAPTER I.

HELENA SAVILLE FAUCIT, the Helen Faucit of the theatrical
world, came of a theatrical family on both father and mother's
side. Her maternal grandfather, Mr Diddear, of French origin,
had been a merchant in the East Indies, but, after heavy losses
there, came to London, purchased the freedom of the City, and
commenced business as a silk-mercer. Again proving unsuccess-
ful, he became an actor, and remained upon the stage for several
years.
An accident, by which he broke one of his legs, made
him abandon the active exercise of his vocation, but he continued
his relations with the drama by becoming the manager of the
Norwich, Margate, and other circuits. Mr Saville Faucit, while
a member of his company at Margate, persuaded Mr Diddear's
daughter Harriet, to whom he had often played the lover on the
stage, to become his wife, and they were married at the church
of St George the Martyr, Southwark, on September 2, 1805. The
consent of the lady's parents to the marriage had not been sought,
but after a short interval they became reconciled, and Mr and
Mrs Faucit were reinstated in Mr Diddear's company.

They both attained distinction in their profession, Mr Faucit as a dramatic author as well as actor. Mrs Faucit's reputation in

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