 From 1890 to 1892, having received a bequest that freed him from magazine publication, he made a strenuous effort to succeed on the London stage, writing a half-dozen plays of which only one, a dramatisation of his novel "The American," was produced.This play was performed for several years by a touring repertory company and had a respectable run in London, but did not earn very much money for James.His other plays written at this time were not produced.