 In May 1894 , Courtenay followed Lloyd to the Empire , Leicester Square , where she was performing , and attempted to batter her with a stick , shouting : " I will gouge your eyes out and ruin you ! " His assault missed Lloyd , but struck Burge in the face instead . As a result of the incident , Lloyd was sacked from the Empire for fear of a reprisal . Lloyd left the marital home , moving to 73 Carleton Road , Tufnell Park and successfully applied for a restraining warrant , which prevented Courtenay from contacting her . A few weeks later , Lloyd began an affair with the music hall singer Alec Hurley , which resulted in Courtenay initiating divorce proceedings in 1894 on the grounds of her adultery . That year , together with a short tour of the English provinces , Lloyd travelled to New York with Hurley , where she appeared at the Imperial Theatre , staying for two months . On her return to England , she appeared in the Liverpool Christmas pantomime as the principal boy in Pretty Bo @-@ Peep , Little Boy Blue , and the Merry Old Woman who lived in a Shoe . Her performance was praised by the press , who called her " delightfully easy , graceful and self @-@ possessed . " 
