She had quite failed to understand why they were fighting
on the floor behind her. Trembling from head to foot and with a humming
in her ears, she came down to the footlights, Diana's sweet, amorous
smile on her lips, and attacked the opening lines of her duet with so
feeling a voice that the public gave her a veritable ovation.
Behind the scenery she could hear the dull thuds caused by the two men.
They had rolled down to the wings, but fortunately the music covered the
noise made by their feet as they kicked against them.
"By God!" yelled Bordenave in exasperation when at last he had succeeded
in separating them. "Why couldn't you fight at home? You know as well as
I do that I don't like this sort of thing. You, Mignon, you'll do me the
pleasure of staying over here on the prompt side, and you, Fauchery,
if you leave the O.P. side I'll chuck you out of the theater. You
understand, eh? Prompt side and O.P. side or I forbid Rose to bring you
here at all."
When he returned to the prince's presence the latter asked what was the
matter.
"Oh, nothing at all," he murmured quietly.
Nana was standing wrapped in furs, talking to these gentlemen while
awaiting her cue. As Count Muffat was coming up in order to peep between
two of the wings at the stage, he understood from a sign made him by the
stage manager that he was to step softly.
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