In response to my query, a gentlemen from RobertLouisStevenson.org, wrote this to me: What an interesting enquiry! I see that Deacon Brodie is divided into Acts, Tableaux and Scenes, the Tableaux are parts of the action in the same place (i.e. with the same scenery), while each Scene is in the same place but with the entry of some new character or characters (and perhaps the exit of others before). This type of scene division is typical of the published texts of French theatre and it's sometimes called a 'French scene'.