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inter set in. Weeks went to Berlin to attend the lec-
Wtures of Paulssen, and Hayward began to think of
going South. The local theatre opened its doors. Philip
and Hayward went to it two or three times a week with the
praiseworthy intention of improving their German, and
Philip found it a more diverting manner of perfecting him-
self in the language than listening to sermons. They found
themselves in the midst of a revival of the drama. Several
of Ibsen’s plays were on the repertory for the winter; Suder-
mann’s Die Ehre was then a new play, and on its production
in the quiet university town caused the greatest excitement;
it was extravagantly praised and bitterly attacked; other
dramatists followed with plays written under the modern
influence, and Philip witnessed a series of works in which
the vileness of mankind was displayed before him. He had
never been to a play in his life till then (poor touring compa-
nies sometimes came to the Assembly Rooms at Blackstable,
but the Vicar, partly on account of his profession, partly be-
cause he thought it would be vulgar, never went to see them)
and the passion of the stage seized him. He felt a thrill the
moment he got into the little, shabby, ill-lit theatre. Soon he
came to know the peculiarities of the small company, and
by the casting could tell at once what were the characteris-
tics of the persons in the drama; but this made no difference

1 0 Of Human Bondage