Ellen Terry's son described the stage at the Lyceum as a sunlit clearing, a glade in the forest. But already by 1892 a serpent, who was later to become an enchanter himself, was coiled about a tree in the forest glade. The year 1892, when Ellen began her letters to Shaw, was also the year of Henry VIII, the most spectacular of all Henry Irving's productions. When the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire gave a huge fancy-dress ball at Devonshire House, it was not Henry Irving but Cardinal Wolsey who elected to be a guest. The production of Nance Oldfield was one of Irving's indulgences to Ellen, and as with The Amber Heart she went on to play it into her late middle age for hundreds of performances. Yet she was also listening with half an ear to the voice of the tempter in the forest calling her to higher flights of artistry.