"
It was the accent of passion and the sensitive girl quivered. Yet she
defended herself--in words, "Hush!" said she. "That is wicked--out of an
opera. Fanny would laugh at you, if she heard."
Here were two reasons for not making such hot love in the stalls of an
opera. Which of the two weighed most with the fair reasoner shall be left
to her own sex.
The brief scene ended with the declaration of the evil spirit that
Marguerite is lost.
"There," said Zoe, naively, "that is over, thank goodness: now you will
hear _my_ singer."
Siebel and Marta came on from opposite sides of the stage. "See!" said
Zoe, "isn't she lovely?" and she turned her beaming face full on Severne,
to share her pleasure with him. To her amazement the man seemed
transformed: a dark cloud had come over his sunny countenance. He sat,
pale, and seemed to stare at the tall, majestic, dreamy singer, who stood
immovable, dressed like a velvet youth, yet looking like no earthly boy,
but a draped statue of Mercury,
"New lighted on a heaven-kissing hill."
The blood left his lips, and Zoe thought he was faint; but the next
moment he put his handkerchief hastily to his nose, and wriggled his way
out, with a rush and a crawl, strangely combined, at the very moment when
the singer delivered her first commanding note of recitative.
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