Part 4 (2/2)

CHAP I

THE opera was _Cenerentola_; the overture, chorus, introduction, &c, all were ith the scene opened and revealed _Cenerentola_ by her kitchen fire She lays down her bellows, she advances; even in that assee of beauty she was the rey merino with a black velvet ribbon round the waist She is exactly the height of the Medicean Venus, what the ht, has the full proportion of woloith the soft tint of the China rose; her arms and hands are faultless; her ankle, revealed by the short petticoat, that of the ”Danatrice;” the foot, one for which the glass slipper would be too large Who can describe her face? the soft, pouting lips of infancy, the delicate features, the largeblue eye, the finely turned oval face, enshrined in a cloud of golden curls

So lovely was she that the audience appeared to forget that she was to do anything more than allow herself to be looked at But she cohts with the modest self-possession of an innocent child ”_Una olta c'era un re_,” first reveals the sweet tone of her voice From the first note to the last it is unmistakably a soprano Her execution, as she advanced into the difficulties of the music, was perfectly supernatural; it resembled an instrument--no bird--but it was the perfection of the loveliest of all instruments, the human voice

With the purity of a silver bell, she reached to the E above the lines; it was perfectly equal, both in the upper and isters; it eet, soft, and expressive in all its tones When the public recovered froe that it onderful, pleasing, and charracefully through her part as she would have done in a drawing-room _Cencrentola_ (like the _Barbiere_) is an opera which is sung by sopranos and by contraltos; it was originally written for Emilia Bonini, a contralto, who quietly made her fortune in Italy, unknown to Parisian or Londonian fah it contains great difficulties of execution Madareat beauty, who acquired great celebrity and died very young, was the first who ventured to appear in it after Sontag

The enthusias hteen--her surprising beauty, the e of all London; the princess's robe was more than once offered her for acceptance; a royal er, allied with the English throne, though a country, offered his hand at the risk of immense sacrifices; but she was never coquettish--never prudish--never vain, and never swerved froiance to the one whose naed before coland She went everywhere with her nie_; stepped froe to the saloons of Devonshi+re House, where, auests, she waltzed with the joyousness of a Gerirl; but none ever presumed to pollute her ear with an impure word There was at this time in London another remarkable cantatrice, the most wonderful contralto who had ever been heard since the days of Banti, of whootten Her style and voice were considered without equal; but nature had disdained to complete her work

Pisaroni was little, crooked, aard, and united in her features and cootten when froracefulon her hearers the thrilling effect of a sudden burst fro concert, at the close of the season, Pisaroni, Malibran, and Sontag sang the trio (from Meyerbeer's _Crociato_) ”_Giovinetto cavalier_;” and never was such music heard since

SONTAG AND MALIBRAN

AT

EPSOM RACES

BY

JULIE DE MARGUERITTE

CHAP II

SOME years ago an open carriage with four thorough-bred horses, mounted by postillions in black velvet jackets and silver-tasseled caps, aiting at the door of a syle streets The sun was shi+ning brilliantly, and though it was not later than ten o'clock in thethrough the street The horses of the carriage which aiting, tossed their heads and pawed the ground ialloped by; the postillions repeated to each other the naentle costu anxiously each tie of the house ”Can anything have detained her?” said one of the gentlen accent ”We shall be late,” said his co at his watch ”Warrender and Burghersh!+” shouted the grooe as well appointed as their o past thener, ”we shall be last” ”Coe door, while his fellow servant let down the steps, and escorted by a large and re, three ladies issued from the house One was the Countess C----, the two others were Henriette and Nina Sontag

The Chevalier de Benkhausen, the Russian Charge d'Affaires, followed the ladies into the carriage, the two other gentlehtened the reins, the footot on the dickey, and off sped the carriage at full speed They were going to Epsom, and this was the Derby day In a few minutes, as they went down Conduit street into Bond street, they passed a carriage in which were one lady and three gentlehersh, Sir George Warrender, and Charles de Beriot

Men, grooms, and postillions shouted as they went by, and Malibran ie; but the object of her curiosity was quietly talking to Lady C----, so that all she saas the back of a very pretty satin bonnet with a blonde veil, and the outside of Nina Sontag's white parasol Malibran threw herself pettishly back and pulled the fingers of her glove--how she longed to see the rival who had landed but two days before, and for whoes continued their race until the crowd separated the all in one cloud of dust For hours later the Countess of C----'s carriage was the scene of the delicious scra which is the principal pleasure of Epsom, for those who are not lasses, fresh bottles of chaon which had preceded thee, each in turn taking his place on the steps and leaning on the open door Lady C---- proclaie, in the diplomatic corps, in the artistic and political world, as she introduced in succession every new couest The Chevalier de Benkhausen, well known as a wit and a ”bon vivant,” absorbed all the good things, though saying brilliant ones at the same time Lord C---- had descended fro salutations with his friends, but without allowing his hand to quit the door of the carriage on the side nearest Sontag, on which he stood, and many eyes were ready to seize that envied position, but he ht of a previous acquaintance in Berlin, with the beautiful _priirl of fifteen, kept eating, drinking, bowing, and talking, but took particular care to hand up wings of chicken and glasses of chaner, who still retained his place on the box, having apparently taken literally the scene before hi that it was really his duty to look at the race, which every one else seeotten nobody knew much about him; he had come from Berlin (which accounted for his intimacy with Nina), was a new attache of the Sardinian embassy, and had been introduced to Lady C---- by M de Benkhausen as le Coave way on each side before a tall fine e black lace horn bonnet M de Benkhausen, on perceiving her, sprang froe, took her hand, and assisted her into his place, saying, ”Mademoiselle, j'ai l'honneur de vous presenter Madaazed one instant at each other, another instant and their hands were clasped, and a tear glistened in the eye of the daughter of the South, as passion's essence, whilst a deeper tint h abruptly stopped, even the phlegmatic Count Rossi turned quickly round, and Lord C---- reverently took off his hat But feords were exchanged, and then they parted, Malibran taking the ar followed by as numerous a train as the one they left behind

Thus for the first tihts after was the eventful night The King's Theatre, as it was then called, presented the ine Fashi+on for once had forgotten itself, and every box, which on ordinary nights it is voted vulgar to fill, was occupied by four or five ladies in full dress, a dress which it is the peculiar prerogative of English women to become, better than any other women in the world

HENRIETTE SONTAG

AND THE

EMPEROR OF RUSSIA

BY

PRINCE PUCKLER-MUSKAU

From his celebrated work entitled ”Tutti Frutti”