‘I think it’ll work,’ Peregrine said at last to Nina who was sitting behind him.

‘Oh yes, Perry. Yes. Yes.’

‘We’ll move on to the next “appearance”. Dougal, you have this distraught, confused, self-betraying speech. You pull yourself together and propose a health. You stand in front of the stool, masking it, holding out the cup in your left hand. Ross fills it. The understudy is in position. Under the table. Is he here? Yes, Toby. You’ve moved up to the end. You can see when Macbeth’s arm and hand, holding the goblet, are in place and you slip up on the stool. Macbeth proposes the toast. He moves away, facing front. He does what we all hope he will not do: he names Banquo. The thanes drink. He turns to go upstage and there is the Ghost. On “unreal mockery, hence” the Ghost rises. He moves to the stairs, passing between Menteith and Gaston and past the soldiers on guard, up into the murder chamber. Everyone watches Macbeth who raves on. Now, inch by inch, we’ll walk it.’

They did so, marking what they did in their scripts, gradually working through the whole scene, taking notes, walking the moves, fitting the pieces together. Peregrine said: ‘If ever there was a scene that could be ruined by a bit-part actor, this is it. It’s all very well to say you must completely ignore the Ghost, that for you it’s not there; but it calls for a damn good actor to achieve it. We’ve got to make the audience accept the reality of the Ghost and be frightened by it. The most intelligent of you all, Lennox, has the line: “Good night, and better health attend His Majesty.” When next we see Lennox he’s speaking of his suspicions to Ross. The actor will, ever so slightly, not a fraction too much, make us aware of this. A hair’s-breadth pause after he says good night, perhaps. You’ve got your moves. Take them once more to make sure and go away and think through the whole scene, step by step, and then decide absolutely what you are feeling and doing at every moment.’

When they had gone Peregrine took Macbeth’s scene with the murderers. Then the actual murder of Banquo.

‘Listen!’ Peregrine said. ‘Just listen to the gift this golden hand offers you. It’s got everything. The last glint of sunset, the near approach of disaster.

“The West yet glimmers with some streaks of day.

Now spurs the lated traveller apace

To gain the timely inn.”