Sealed Lips — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

6 SHALED LIPS. and calmly smiled with that impertinent, morose, or blase coolness which is now the social custom of modern society. One could see that some of them did not find it dull, a much more infrequent result than we realize. Various groups were formed in the vestibules making up parties. They talked of the new work very little, but arranged meetings for the next day. To meet together, no matter where, is for the Parisian of to-day a supreme pleasure, to go to their homes the greatest of misfortunes. Each one delayed as long as possible the time when monsieur and madam should find themselves alone in their coupe, on their way home. Nobody seemed ina hurry save the journalists, who hastened to their offices to finish the article which they had already commenced in the morning, with a smattering of knowledge and some politic remarks upon the fall of Byzance, the final episode in the new opera. During this time, on the other side of the foot- lights, Antoine Godefroid was dividing his laurels with everybody. He was a composer who knew his trade, and had no illusions as _ to the modesty of the people connected with the theater. With a tired and melancholy smile, he had finished giving his praises. The principal actors had already gone to their dressing-rooms to remove their costumes. A suffocating crowd of people in dress suits, of all the artistic clans, remained, and it was from these that Godefroid tried to escape, repeating for the hun- GOmicbdoo KS (E(0)