is the great act," whispered Mrs. Cressler, leaning over Laura's
shoulder. "She is superb later on. Superb."

"I wish those men would stop talking," murmured Laura, searching the
darkness distressfully, for between the strains of the music she had
heard the words:

"--Clearing House balance of three thousand dollars."

Meanwhile the prima donna, rising to her feet, delivered herself of a
lengthy recitative, her chin upon her breast, her eyes looking out from
under her brows, an arm stretched out over the footlights. The baritone
entered, striding to the left of the footlights, apostrophising the
prima donna in a rage. She clasped her hands imploringly, supplicating
him to leave her, exclaiming from time to time:

"Va via, va via--
Vel chieco per pieta."

Then all at once, while the orchestra blared, they fell into each
other's arms.

"Why do they do that?" murmured Aunt Wess' perplexed. "I thought the
gentleman with the beard didn't like her at all."

"Why, that's the duke, don't you see, Aunt Wess'?" said Laura trying to
explain. "And he forgives her. I don't know exactly. Look at your
libretto."

"--a conspiracy of the Bears ... seventy cents ... and naturally he
busted."

The mezzo-soprano, the confidante of the prima donna, entered, and a
trio developed that had but a mediocre success. At the end the baritone
abruptly drew his sword, and the prima donna fell to her knees,
chanting:

"Io tremo, ahime!"

"And now he's mad again," whispered Aunt Wess', consulting her
libretto, all at sea once more. "I can't understand. She says--the
opera book says she says, 'I tremble.' I don't see why."

"Look now," said Page, "here comes the tenor. Now they're going to have
it out."

The tenor, hatless, debouched suddenly upon the scene, and furious,
addressed himself to the baritone, leaning forward, his hands upon his
chest. Though the others sang in Italian, the tenor, a Parisian, used
the French book continually, and now villified the baritone, crying out:

"O traitre infame
O lache et coupable"

"I don't see why he don't marry the young lady and be done with it,"
commented Aunt Wess'.

The act drew to its close. The prima donna went through her "great
scene," wherein her voice climbed to C in alt, holding the note so long
that Aunt Wess' became uneasy. As she finished, the house rocked with
applause, and the soprano, who had gone out supported by her
confidante, was recalled three times.