The climax has said to the audience, “Here, this is what I’ve kept you waiting for—­my whole reason for being,” therefore the ending cannot dally—­it must run swiftly to the final word.  There is no excuse for the ending to linger over anything at all—­the shot has been fired and the audience waits only for the smoke to clear away, that it may see how the bull’s-eye looks.  The swifter you can blow the smoke away, show them that you’ve hit the bull’s-eye dead in the centre, and bow yourself off amid their pleased applause, the better your impression will be.

Take these three examples: 

When Fred Saltus dashes revealingly across the stage and back into his room again, “The Lollard’s” climax is reached; and as soon as Angela exclaims “What ‘a lollard’ that is!” there’s a ring at the door bell and in comes Harry to win Angela completely with his regimentals and to carry her off and bring the curtain down—­ in eight very short speeches.

In “The System,” the climax arrives when the honest Inspector orders Dugan arrested and led away.  Then he gives “The Eel” and Goldie their freedom and exits with a simple “Good Night”—­and the curtain comes down—­all in seven speeches.

The climax of “Blackmail” seems to come when Fallon shoots Mohun and Kelly breaks into the room—­to the curtain it is seven speeches.  But the real climax is reached when Kelly shouts over the telephone “Of course, in self-defense, you fool, of course, in self-defense.”  This is—­the last speech.

Convincing evidence, is this not, of the speed with which the curtain must follow the climax?

And so we have come, to this most important point—­the “finish” or “the curtain,” as vaudeville calls it.  The very last thing that must be shown, and the final word that must be said before the curtain comes down, are the last loose ends of the plot which must be spliced into place—­the final illuminating word to round out the whole playlet humanly and cleverly.  “The Lollard” goes back to Miss Carey’s sleep, which Angela’s knock on the door interrupted:  “Now, thank Gawd, I’ll get a little sleep,” says Miss Carey as she puts out the light.  A human, an everyday word it is, spoken like a reminiscent thrill—­and down comes the curtain amid laughter and applause.  A fine way to end.

But not the only way—­let us examine “The System.”

“Well, we’re broke again,” says Goldie tearfully.  “We can’t go West now, so there’s no use packing.”  Now, note the use of business in the ending, and the surprise.  The Eel goes stealthily to the window L, looks out, and pulls the dictograph from the wall.  Then he comes down stage to Goldie who is sitting on the trunk and has watched him.  He taps her on the shoulder, taking Dugan’s red wallet out of his pocket.  “Go right ahead and pack,” says The Eel, while Goldie looks astonished and begins to laugh.  The audience, too, look astonished