A
woman's voice cried in a very high key, "Oh, isn't he ugly?" and all the
ladies laughed and applauded.
Then followed a scene which seemed interminable. Jupiter in the course
of it seemed never to be going to finish assembling the Council of Gods
in order to submit thereto the deceived husband's requests. And still no
Nana! Was the management keeping Nana for the fall of the curtain then?
So long a period of expectancy had ended by annoying the public. Their
murmurings began again.
"It's going badly," said Mignon radiantly to Steiner. "She'll get a
pretty reception; you'll see!"
At that very moment the clouds at the back of the stage were cloven
apart and Venus appeared. Exceedingly tall, exceedingly strong, for her
eighteen years, Nana, in her goddess's white tunic and with her light
hair simply flowing unfastened over her shoulders, came down to the
footlights with a quiet certainty of movement and a laugh of greeting
for the public and struck up her grand ditty:
"When Venus roams at eventide."
From the second verse onward people looked at each other all over the
house. Was this some jest, some wager on Bordenave's part? Never had a
more tuneless voice been heard or one managed with less art.
Pages:
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36