the pit-第6节

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　of　her　head。　　On　the　right；　the　basso；　scowling；　could　be　heard　in　the　intervals　of　the　music　repeating


　　　　　〃Il　perfido；　l'ingrato〃


while　to　the　left　of　the　soprano；　the　baritone　intoned　indistinguishable；　sonorous　phrases；　striking　his　breast　and　pointing　to　the　fallen　tenor　with　his　sword。　At　the　extreme　left　of　the　stage　the　contralto；　in　tights　and　plush　doublet；　turned　to　the　audience；　extending　her　hands；　or　flinging　back　her　arms。　　She　raised　her　eyebrows　with　each　high　note；　and　sunk　her　chin　into　her　ruff　when　her　voice　descended。　　At　certain　intervals　her　notes　blended　with　those　of　the　soprano's　while　she　sang：


　　　　　〃Addio；　felicita　del　ciel！〃


The　tenor；　raised　upon　one　hand；　his　shoulders　supported　by　his　friends；　sustained　the　theme　which　the　soprano　led　with　the　words：


　　　　　〃Je　me　meurs　　　　　　　Ah　malheur　　　　　　　Ah　je　souffre　　　　　　　Mon　ame　s'envole。〃


The　chorus　formed　a　semi…circle　just　behind　him。　　The　women　on　one　side；　the　men　on　the　other。　　They　left　much　to　be　desired；　apparently　scraped　hastily　together　from　heaven　knew　what　sources；　after　the　manner　of　a　management　suddenly　become　economical。　　The　women　were　fat；　elderly；　and　painfully　homely；　the　men　lean；　osseous；　and　distressed；　in　misfitting　hose。　　But　they　had　been　conscientiously　drilled。　　They　made　all　their　gestures　together；　moved　in　masses　simultaneously；　and；　without　ceasing；　chanted　over　and　over　again：


　　　　　〃O　terror；　O　blasfema。〃


The　_finale_　commenced。　　Everybody　on　the　stage　took　a　step　forward；　beginning　all　over　again　upon　a　higher　key。　　The　soprano's　voice　thrilled　to　the　very　chandelier。　　The　orchestra　redoubled　its　efforts；　the　director　beating　time　with　hands；　head；　and　body。


　　　　　〃Il　perfido；　l'ingrato〃


thundered　the　basso。


　　　　　〃Ineffabil　mistero；〃


answered　the　baritone；　striking　his　breast　and　pointing　with　his　sword；　while　all　at　once　the　soprano's　voice；　thrilling　out　again；　ran　up　an　astonishing　crescendo　that　evoked　veritable　gasps　from　all　parts　of　the　audience；　then　jumped　once　more　to　her　famous　C　in　alt；　and　held　it　long　enough　for　the　chorus　to　repeat


　　　　　〃O　terror；　O　blasfema〃


four　times。

Then　the　director's　baton　descended　with　the　violence　of　a　blow。　　There　was　a　prolonged　crash　of　harmony；　a　final　enormous　chord；　to　which　every　voice　and　every　instrument　contributed。　　The　singers　struck　tableau　attitudes；　the　tenor　fell　back　with　a　last　wail：


　　　　　〃Je　me　meurs；〃


and　the　soprano　fainted　into　the　arms　of　her　confidante。　　The　curtain　fell。

The　house　roared　with　applause。　　The　scene　was　recalled　again　and　again。　　The　tenor；　scrambling　to　his　feet；　joined　hands　with　the　baritone；　soprano；　and　other　artists；　and　all　bowed　repeatedly。　　Then　the　curtain　fell　for　the　last　time；　the　lights　of　the　great　chandelier　clicked　and　blazed　up；　and　from　every　quarter　of　the　house　came　the　cries　of　the　programme　sellers：

〃Opera　books。　　Books　of　the　opera。　　Words　and　music　of　the　opera。〃

During　this；　the　last　_entr'acte；_　Laura　remained　in　the　box　with　Mrs。　Cressler；　Corthell；　and　Jadwin。　　The　others　went　out　to　look　down　upon　the　foyer　from　a　certain　balcony。

In　the　box　the　conversation　turned　upon　stage　management；　and　Corthell　told　how；　in　〃L'Africaine；〃　at　the　Opera；　in　Paris；　the　entire　superstructure　of　the　stagewings；　drops；　and　backsturned　when　Vasco　da　Gama　put　the　ship　about。　　Jadwin　having　criticised　the　effect　because　none　of　the　actors　turned　with　it；　was　voted　a　Philistine　by　Mrs。　Cressler　and　Corthell。　　But　as　he　was　about　to　answer；　Mrs。　Cressler　turned　to　the　artist；　passing　him　her　opera　glasses；　and　asking：

〃Who　are　those　people　down　there　in　the　third　row　of　the　parquetsee；　on　the　middle　aislethe　woman　is　in　red。　　Aren't　those　the　Gretrys？〃

This　left　Jadwin　and　Laura　out　of　the　conversation；　and　the　capitalist　was　quick　to　seize　the　chance　of　talking　to　her。　　Soon　she　was　surprised　to　notice　that　he　was　trying　hard　to　be　agreeable；　and　before　they　had　exchanged　a　dozen　sentences；　he　had　turned　an　awkward　compliment。　　She　guessed　by　his　manner　that　paying　attention　to　young　girls　was　for　him　a　thing　altogether　unusual。　　Intuitively　she　divined　that　she；　on　this；　the　very　first　night　of　their　acquaintance；　had　suddenly　interested　him。

She　had　had　neither　opportunity　nor　inclination　to　observe　him　closely　during　their　interview　in　the　vestibule；　but　now；　as　she　sat　and　listened　to　him　talk；　she　could　not　help　being　a　little　attracted。　　He　was　a　heavy…built　man；　would　have　made　two　of　Corthell；　and　his　hands　were　large　and　broad；　the　hands　of　a　man　of　affairs；　who　knew　how　to　grip；　and；　above　all；　how　to　hang　on。　　Those　broad；　strong　hands；　and　keen；　calm　eyes　would　enfold　and　envelop　a　Purpose　with　tremendous　strength；　and　they　would　persist　and　persist　and　persist；　unswerving；　unwavering；　untiring；　till　the　Purpose　was　driven　home。　　And　the　two　long；　lean；　fibrous　arms　of　him；　what　a　reach　they　could　attain；　and　how　wide　and　huge　and　even　formidable　would　be　their　embrace　of　affairs。　　One　of　those　great　manoeuvres　of　a　fellow　money…captain　had　that　very　day　been　concluded；　the　Helmick　failure；　and　between　the　chords　and　bars　of　a　famous　opera　men　talked　in　excited　whispers；　and　one　great　leader　lay　at　that　very　moment；　broken　and　spent；　fighting　with　his　last　breath　for　bare　existence。　　Jadwin　had　seen　it　all。　　Uninvolved　in　the　crash；　he　had　none　the　less　been　close　to　it；　watching　it；　in　touch　with　it；　foreseeing　each　successive　collapse　by　which　it　reeled　fatally　to　the　final　catastrophe。　　The　voices　of　the　two　men　that　had　so　annoyed　her　in　the　early　part　of　the　evening　were　suddenly　raised　again：

〃It　was　terrific；　there　on　the　floor　of　the　Board　this　morning。　　By　the　Lord！　they　fought　each　other　when　the　Bears　began　throwing　the　grain　at　'emin　carload　lots。〃

And　abruptly；　midway　between　two　phases　of　that　music…　drama；　of　passion　and　romance；　there　came　to　Laura　the　swift　and　vivid　impression　of　that　other　drama　that　simultaneouslyeven　at　that　very　momentwas　working　itself　out　close　at　hand；　equally　picturesque；　equally　romantic；　equally　passionate；　but　more　than　that；　real；　actual；　modern；　a　thing　in　the　very　heart　of　the　very　life　in　which　she　moved。　　And　here　he　sat；　this　Jadwin；　quiet；　in　evening　dress；　listening　good…naturedly　to　this　beautiful　music；　for　which　he　did　not　care；　to　this　rant　and　fustian；　watching　quietly　all　this　posing　and　attitudinising。　　How　small　and　petty　it　must　all　seem　to　him！

Laura　found　time　to　be　astonished。　　What！　She　had　first　met　this　man　haughtily；　in　all　the　panoply　of　her　〃grand　manner；〃　and　had　promised　herself　that　she　would　humble　him；　and　pay　him　for　that　first　mistrustful　stare　at　her。　　And　now；　behold；　she　was　studying　him；　and　finding　the　study　interesting。　　Out　of　harmony　though　she　knew　him　to　be　with　those　fine　emotions　of　hers　of　the　early　part　of　the　evening；　she　nevertheless　found　much　in　him　to　admire。　　It　was　always　just　like　that。　　She　told　herself　that　she　was　forever　doing　the　unexpected　thing；　the　inconsistent　thing。　　Women　were　queer　creatures；　mysterious　even　to　themselves。

〃I　am　so　pleased　that　you　are　enjoying　it　all；〃　said　Corthell's　voice　at　her　shoulder。　　〃I　knew　you　would。　There　is　nothing　like　music　such　as　this　to　appeal　to　the　emotions；　the　heartand　with　your　temperament〃

Straightway　he　made　her　feel　her　sex。　　Now　she　was　just　a　woman　again；　with　all　a　woman's　limitations；　and　her　relations　with　Corthell　could　never　beso　she　realisedany　other　than　sex…relations。　　With　Jadwin　somehow　it　had　been　different。　　She　had　felt　his　manhood　more　than　her　womanhood；　her　sex　side。　　And　between　them　it　was　more　a　give…and…take　affair；　more　equality；　more　companionship。　　Corthell　spoke　only　of　her　heart　and　to　her　heart。　　But　Jadwin　made　her　feel　or　rather　she　made　herself　feel　when　he　talked　to　her　that　she　had　a　head　as　well　as　a　heart。

And　the　last　act　of　the　opera　did　not　wholly　absorb　her　attention。　　The　artists　came　and　went；　the　orchestra　wailed　and　boomed；　the　audience　applauded；　and　in　the　end　the　tenor；　fired　by　a　sudden　sense　of　duty　and　of　stern　obligation；　tore　himself　from　the　arms　of　the　soprano；　and　calling　out　upon　remorseless　fate　and　upon　heaven；　and　declaiming　about　the　vanity　of　glory；　and　his　heart　that　broke　yet　disdained　tears；　allowed　himself　to　be　dragged　off　the　scene　by　his　friend　the　basso。　　For　the　fifth　time　during　the　piece　the　soprano　fainted　into　the　arms　of　her　long…suffering　confidante。　The　audience；　suddenly　remembering　hats　and　wraps；　bestirred　itself；　and　many　parties　were　already　upon　their　feet　and　filing　out　at　the　time　the　curtain　fell。

The　Cresslers　and　their　friends　were　among　the　last　to　regain　the　vestibule。　　But　as　they　came　out　from　the　foyer；　where　the　first　draughts　of　outside　air　began　to　make　themselves　felt；　there　were　exclamations：

〃It's　raining。〃

〃Why；　it's　raining　right　down。〃

It　was　true。　　Abruptly　the　weather　had　moderated；　and　the　fine；　dry　snow　that　had　been　falling　since　early　evening　had　changed　to　a　lugubrious　drizzle。　　A　wave　of　consternation　invaded　the　vestibule　for　those　who　had　not　come　in　carriages；　or　whose　carriages　had　not　arrived。　　Tempers　were　lost；　women；　cloaked　to　the