
audiobook
by J. Stirling (Joseph Stirling) Coyne
Transcribed from the [1858?] Thomas Hailes Lacy edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
In this lively one‑act comedy, the bustling Todd household of Brompton prepares for a grand departure. Mrs. Todd and her witty maid, Perks, scramble to pack a bewildering assortment of garments, gadgets and travel gear, while her husband, Samuel, obsessively pores over a railway guide, turning a simple journey into a maze of routes and timetables. Their banter crackles with Victorian humor, as domestic chores collide with the absurdities of early‑travel planning.
Meanwhile, a cast of colorful visitors—ranging from a flamboyant foreign gentleman to a melodramatic brigand—adds further chaos to the scene. The play’s brisk fifty‑minute run keeps the dialogue snappy, the misunderstandings escalating, and the audience laughing at the gentle satire of social pretensions and the perils of over‑preparation. It’s a charming snapshot of 19th‑century middle‑class life, full of wit, music, and the timeless comedy of family life in flux.
Language
en
Duration
~50 minutes (48K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2018-10-16
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1803–1868
An Irish-born playwright and journalist with a sharp comic touch, he became one of the busiest figures on the 19th-century stage. His work mixed satire, farce, and lively everyday characters in ways that appealed to a wide popular audience.
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