ACTRESSES AND THE MISE EN SCÈNE Lloyd sang the song absolutely straight for the Committee No possible source of offence was found Lloyd, who more than any of her contemporaries knew that ‘Every little movement has a meaning of its own/ Every little movement tells a tale’, then sang the parlour favourite ‘Come Into the Garden, Maud’, accompanying it with ‘every possible lewd gesture, wink and innuendo’, pawing the ground and drawing her pearls across her teeth.36 This performance convinced the Committee that lewdness existed in their own minds, not in the lyrics, in which case nothing need or could be done; if their literacy of gestural referents was so comprehensive, the guilt rested on them, not the song In Lloyd’s own words: They don’t pay their sixpences and shillings at a music hall to hear the Salvation Army If I was to try to sing healthy moral songs they would fire ginger beer bottles and beer mugs at me I can’t help it if people want to turn and twist my meanings.37 Marie Lloyd’s performance of ‘The Naughty Continong [Continent]’ demonstrates this principle The song consists of a first person description of an Englishwoman’s impressions of Parisian men The third verse is about a ball and cancan dancing: A lovely sight to see, but the dance you would call Well a terribly ‘leggy’ show! yes, terribly warm, you know For the mamzelles fair, throw their limbs about in a reckless way, And the young men there get a special seat for the grand display, At these little bits, I could give them fits, But I give ‘em best, when they begin to the splits CHORUS Oh! you should see them— (imitate splits) no, I it wrong! It’s a terrible thing, but the regular thing, on the naughty Continong!39 Moral reformers tried to raise objections to such questionable songs, but were almost always thwarted by their own verbal reticence and mimetic ineptitude when trying to convince licensing authorities of the affront The Society for Prevention of Degradation of Women and 119