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bottles of Swedish punch, curtailed ruthlessly
the whole scene with the actors, the scene with
the grave-diggers, the killing of Polonius, and
announced that, ghost or no ghost, the
performance was to take place.
It was a memorable evening in the theatrical
annals of Lund. Punctually at eight the curtain
rose over the royal palace of Elsinore, as the crow
flies not an hour’s distance from where we were.
The crowded house chiefly composed of
boisterous undergraduates from the University proved
less emotional than we had expected. The
entrance of the Prince of Denmark passed off
almost unnoticed, even his famous “To be or
not to be” missed fire. The king limped
painfully across the stage and sank down with a loud
groan on his throne. Ophelia’s cold had assumed
terrific proportions. It was evident that
Polonius could not see straight. It was the Ghost
that saved the situation. The Ghost was I. As
I advanced in ghost-like fashion on the moonlit
ramparts of the castle of Elsinore, carefully
groping my way over the huge packing-cases which
formed its very backbone, the whole fabric
suddenly collapsed and I was precipitated up to the
armpits in one of the packing-cases. What was
a ghost expected to do in similar circumstances?
Should I duck my head and disappear altogether
in the packing-case or should I remain as I was,
awaiting further events? It was a nice question
to settle! A third alternative was suggested to
me by Hamlet himself in a hoarse whisper: why
the devil didn’t I climb out of the infernal box?
This was, however, beyond my power, my legs
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