r in her excitement, she did not enter properly.

Janina knew what they were doing, so she did not take very much to
heart Mela's ridicule or Topolski's pedantic instructions. She
played on and rendered her role forcibly, if a little unevenly.

There followed a characteristic silence; nobody laughed nor jested
loudly.

The stage-director walked up and down behind the scenes contentedly
rubbing his hands and grunting: "Good, good, but she does not yet
put enough pathos into it!"

"Why, don't you hear she is already shouting, not speaking!"
Majkowska jeered at him.

"My dear madame! You go into convulsions on the stage, and none of
us, out of politeness, blames you for it," answered Stanislawski for
his friend.

"Not that way! Who waves his arms in that manner? Are you trying to
make a windmill of yourself?" cried Topolski.

"Don't discourage her, remember it is her first rehearsal!" cried
Cabinska from the seats.

"You walk about the stage like a goose!" again remarked the
irritated Topolski to Janina.

"She wouldn't be at all bad as a washerwoman!" hissed Mela.

In spite of all, although she felt tears of wrath rising to her
eyes, Janina played on, without letting herself be confused and
never for a moment losing her presence of mind.

When she had finished, Cabinska ostentatiously kissed her and began
to praise her aloud so that Majkowska could hear: "I congratulate
you and have no doubt that you will play the part excellently!"

"Work out the details a little better," Stanislawski advised her.

"Why, this is merely a rehearsal! I already have the entire
character worked out in my head."

"We shall now have a real heroine, for one that is beautiful and
talented at the same time!" cried Rosinska in a very loud voice.

Majkowska glared at her furiously, but did not reply.

Janina felt so happy that she had a desire to kiss everybody.

In two days the performance was to take place. That interval was
like one immense vista of light in which Janina seemed eagerly
absorbed. It seemed to her that she was entirely satisfied.

"At last! At last! Now, all my poverty and humiliation will end!"
Janina whispered rapturously to herself. She thought that a
repertory of roles would immediately be assigned to her. She gave
free reign to her imagination and already saw herself upon some
pinnacle. She was already in that promised land of powerful emotions
about which she dreamed every day in that realm that swarmed