Richard never speaks, but his presence at his mother’s side suggests his enmity. A half-brother Edwin never knew he had is his mortal enemy. It’s Shakespearean, really.

viii

Most of the time, Edwin manages to ignore the situation. He has other things to think about. He’s been offered a theater!

Only not exactly. Mrs. Robson, the mother of Johnny’s friend Stuart, manages a local hotel, and she’s told Stuart that if he and his little friends clean out the cellar, they can use it as a playhouse. Stuart has even managed to purchase a real set from the Kilmiste Garden resort, a painted backdrop—the plain room of a simple cottage, a fireplace, rough-hewn shelves with bowls and mugs.

Johnny and his friends are full of plans. They’ll charge a penny apiece for the neighborhood children, two pennies for interested adults, and pay an organ grinder out of the proceeds. Their first play will be Richard III, with all the women’s parts removed and the swordplay emphasized. Johnny is terribly excited about the whole thing. He expects to star. He makes the mistake of boasting about this to Edwin . . .

. . . who sees instantly that he needs to take over. Johnny can’t play Richard III. He’s eight years old! Edwin and his friend John Sleeper offer to join the troupe. The offer comes with a contract specifying their share of the purse. As an adult George Stout will remember these thirteen-year-olds as intimidatingly professional. Also fantastically condescending. The older boys steal the set. Johnny and his friends steal it back. It changes hands so many times, it falls to pieces before it can be used.

The older boys don’t join the troupe so much as they take possession of it. Edwin will, of course, be Richard. Sleeper will be Buckingham. Johnny can be Richmond, a very important part, they assure him. The hero.

All of these boys will go on to have careers in the theater. While other children are playing mumblety-peg, ringtaw, and the game of graces in their spare time, those in the Booth orbit have long been putting on plays. To date, these have taken place in the backyard of 62 Exeter. But this new venture is a magnitude greater. The cellar is enormous and free from the vagaries of Baltimore weather.

Edwin just needs costumes. And a horse. There is plenty of room in the cellar for a horse.

He’s happily mulling these things over when Rosalie calls for him to come down to the kitchen. He can tell from her tone that he missed her first call. Rosalie is always so quiet. Really, you have to be expecting her voice in order to hear it.