Page:Marie Corelli - the writer and the woman (IA mariecorelliwrit00coat).pdf/203

 obvious exception, and herself threatened with death both on the same day."

The play of The Sorrows of Satan was produced, Mr. Lewis Waller playing the part of Lucio. Miss Millard remained staunch to her opinion, and wrote to Miss Corelli, saying how sincerely sorry she was that the play had been brought out, notwithstanding the protest. Since that time several dramatic versions of the book have been played, including Mr. C. W. Somerset's version, which Miss Corelli has described as a combination of her novel and the late George Augustus Sala's "Margaret Foster." Mr. Somerset is himself the author of this production, and we are told that he informed Miss Corelli that he put the two books together in this work "to strengthen both!"

Miss Corelli would much like to put a stop to the various stage renderings of "The Sorrows of Satan" if the law would give her the power to do so; and she would greatly like to see the law altered so as to give her and other authors such power. As it is, she now, to secure her titles, whenever she writes a book, has a play, bearing the title of her book, produced before a paying audience.

In order to secure such dramatic copyright, authors have to pay to have their "sham" play performed before a "sham" audience with "sham" actors! And the law compels it!