drove home from the opening night of The Bells, Irving's wife, Florence, criticised his profession: "Are you going on making a fool of yourself like this all your life?" (She was then pregnant with their second son, Laurence). Irving got out from their carriage at Hyde Park Corner, walked off into the night and chose never to see her again. Original cast Mathias, the burgomaster - Henry Irving Catherine, his wife - Miss G. Pauncefort Annette, his daughter - Miss Fanny Heywood Walter, a friend of Mathias - Frank Hall Hans, a friend of Mathias - F W Irish Christian, a gendarme - Herbert Crellin Sozel, a servant - Miss Ellen Mayne Doctor Zimmer - Mr A Tapping Notary - Mr Collett Tony, Karl & Fritz, guests - Mr Fredericks, Mr Fotheringham and Mr Everard Villagers, Officers of the Court, Crowd Synopsis Period - 24 & 26 December 1833. Act I - The Burgomaster's Inn Act II - The Burgomaster's Parlour Act III - The Burgomaster's Bedroom Set in Alsace, the border country between France and Germany, Irving played the burgomaster and family man Mathias, who, fifteen years before, on the night of 24 December 1818, to pay off his mortgage debt, had robbed a wealthy Polish Jewish seed merchant named Koveski who had come to Mathias' inn, killing him with an axe and throwing his body into a lime kiln. Over time Mathias goes insane with guilt, and begins to hallucinate the ghost of the Polish Jew. Only the murderer and the audience, but nobody on stage, could hear the bells on the Jew's sledge jingling or see his ghostly face. Finally, Mathias dreams that he is on trial for the murder and, confessing his guilt, is condemned to death by hanging. Waking, he tries to pull the imaginary noose from around his neck, and dies of a heart attack. Productions Henry Irving produced the play regularly throughout his career. Other actors who have played the Burgomaster Mathias in subsequent productions include Irving's son H. B. Irving, Henry Baynton, William Haviland, Bransby Williams and John Martin-Harvey. Adaptations The play was adapted into numerous film adaptations: a 1911 Australian film directed by W. J. Lincoln two American films in 1913 — one directed by Oscar Apfel and the other produced by Thomas Edison two more versions in 1914 — one British, one American a 1918 American film directed by Ernest