 She planned to become a singer but began her career on the London stage in 1908 at age 15, at the invitation of Herbert Beerbohm Tree.An early appearance on Broadway was in "The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife" in January 1915 and as Titania in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in February 1915.She played Lady Mercia Merivale in the London musical hit "Kissing Time" (1919).