PAGE

I THE WAY IT ALL HAPPENED 13

II A STRUGGLE AND A SOLUTION 21

III PARIS AT LAST 30

IV PENSION PERSONALITIES 39

V OPERATIC FRANCE VERSUS OPERATIC GERMANY 50

VI PREPARING ROLES IN BERLIN 59

VII MY FIRST OPERATIC CONTRACT SIGNED 67

VIII MY ONE LONE IMPROPOSITION 76

IX THE MAKINGS OF A SMALL MUNICIPAL OPERA HOUSE 85

X MY DEBUT AND BREAKING INTO HARNESS 100

XI SOME STAGE DELIGHTS 110

XII MISPLACED MOISTURE AND THE STORY OF A COURT-LADY 123

XIII HUMAN PASSIONS AND SMALLPOX 139

XIV DISCOURAGEMENTS THAT LED TO A COURT THEATRE 153

XV SALARIES AND A TENOR'S GENIUS 164

XVI THE ART OF MARIE MUELLE 172

XVII THE NON-MILITARY SIDE OF A GERMAN OFFICER'S LIFE 184

XVIII GEESE AND GUESTS 199

XIX RUSSIANS, COMMON AND PREFERRED 206

XX THE GRANDMOTHERS' BALLET 220

XXI STAGE FASHIONS AND THE GLORY OF COLOUR 230

XXII ROYAL HUMOUR 242

XXIII COVENT GARDEN AND--AMERICA 257

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Kathleen Howard _Frontispiece_

I Carmen as I Used to Dress It 76

II Carmen as I Now Dress It 84

I Amneris as I Used to Dress It 126

II Amneris as I Now Dress It 134

I Dalila as I Used to Dress It 172

II Dalila as I Now Dress It 180

Caruso's Caricature of Kathleen Howard 260

CHAPTER I

THE WAY IT ALL HAPPENED

I was very young and I was engaged to be married. We had just lost our
money in rather dramatic fashion, and we were all doing what we could to
supply the sudden deficit. My sister began to prepare herself to be a
teacher, my brother left his boarding school and came home to go into a
friend's office, and I--well, I accepted the hand and heart of the young
man in our set with whom I had had most pleasure in dancing in winter
an