Chapter I: Front Matter

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A GENTLEMAN PLAYER

Works of

ROBERT NEILSON STEPHENS

An Enemy to the King
(Twentieth Thousand)

The Continental Dragoon
(Seventeenth Thousand)

The Road to Paris
(Sixteenth Thousand)

A Gentleman Player
(Sixth Thousand)

L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY, Publishers
(Incorporated)
196 Summer St., Boston, Mass.

(_See Page 87._)

A
GENTLEMAN PLAYER

His Adventures on a Secret Mission for
Queen Elizabeth

BY

ROBERT NEILSON STEPHENS

AUTHOR OF
"AN ENEMY TO THE KING," "THE
CONTINENTAL DRAGOON," "THE
ROAD TO PARIS," ETC.

"And each man in his time plays many parts."
--_As You Like It._

BOSTON L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY (INCORPORATED) 1899

_Copyright, 1899_
BY L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)
1899

Colonial Press:
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.
Boston, Mass., U. S. A.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE FIRST PERFORMANCE OF "HAMLET" 11

II. AT THE TAVERNS 36

III. QUEEN AND WOMAN 69

IV. THE UNEXPECTED 93

V. THE PLAYER PROVES HIMSELF A GENTLEMAN 104

VI. AND THE GENTLEMAN PROVES HIMSELF A
PLAYER 116

VII. MISTRESS ANNE HAZLEHURST 129

VIII. "A DEVIL OF A WOMAN" 137

IX. THE FIRST DAY OF THE FLIGHT 152

X. THE LOCKED DOOR 174

XI. WINE AND SONG 184

XII. THE CONSTABLE OF CLOWN 199

XIII. THE PRISONER IN THE COACH 220

XIV. HOW THE PAGE WALKED IN HIS SLEEP 233

XV. TREACHERY 251

XVI. FOXBY HALL 276

XVII. A WOMAN'S VICTORY 295

XVIII. THE HORSEMEN ARRIVE 309

XIX. THE HORSEMEN DEPART 320

XX. ROGER BARNET SITS DOWN TO SMOKE SOME
TOBACCO 332

XXI. ROGER BARNET CONTINUES TO SMOKE TOBACCO 342

XXII. SPEECH WITHOUT WORDS 360

XXIII. THE LONDON ROAD 368

XXIV. HOW A NEW INCIDENT WAS ADDED TO AN
OLD PLAY 375

XXV. SIR HARRY AND LADY MARRYOTT 398

NOTES 409

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

QUEEN ELIZABETH AND HARRY MARRYOTT _Frontispiece_

"SHE GAVE NO OUTWARD SIGN OF ANGER" 190

"THE BRAZEN NOTES CLOVE THE AIR" 267

"RUMNEY ... BACKED QUICKLY TO THE WINDOW,
AND MOUNTED THE LEDGE" 327

A GENTLEMAN PLAYER.