The Argosy — page 341: what you’re looking at

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

325 BETWEEN THE SONGS. By THE AuTHor oF “ Aponals, Q.C.” M4ADAME ALBRANZO, the great soprano prima donna, having just finished her first song (she had only two on the programme) amidst a rapturous storm of applause from every part of the hall, had bowed and smiled herself off the stage. She made a little motion of laughing dissent to some of the mem- bers of her company, who, standing about the short flight of steps leading to the waiting-rooms, smilingly insisted that a repetition of what she had done was due to the rapture. Then, the expression of her face changing to one of gravity, she hastily explained to a leading contralto that, on account of the fatigue of last night’s long journey, she felt slightly indisposed, and would be exceedingly obliged if they could leave her undisturbed, in one of the waiting-rooms, until it was time for her next song. Then Madame Albranzo hurried away on alone to the very end of the passage, where she opened the door of a room, and disappeared. It was a ballad concert, and it was being held in an old-fashioned low-roofed music-hall, forming one side of a square in a little sea-side country town, in one of the most benighted parts of north-east England. Never since the hall had been built—by order of the will and tes- tament of some munificent provincial magnate, nearly two hundred years ago—had the faded roofs and walls echoed to such voices as were ringing through it to-night. It was crowded, as it had not been since, two hundred years ago, the be-wigged and be-muffled mayor and magistrates had, with great pomp, and much rustling of stiff silks, declared it open to the people of Ayleshaven for evermore. The people of Ayleshaven of to-day, for the greater part direct descen- dants of those other two-hundred-years-ago inhabitants, still keeping up, as they did, the interest in music and the musical world somehow traditional to the little place, had in all probability noted the arrival of Madame Albranzo and her famous company, at a populous town in the midland counties of England. Then, suddenly, upon a certain fine morning, there had arrived a letter at sleepy Ayleshaven that had roused every slumbering inhabi- tant to excitement. It was a request from Madame Albranzo to be allowed to give this ballad concert, with her company, in the old music-hall of the little town. She had visited the place in her early youth—had recollections of much happiness connected with it ; for the loss or the profit of the engagement she cared nothing ; it was only that she had taken a fancy to sing in the old music-hall, Would the mayor and magistrates graciously favour her with a reply as to whether her fancy could be indulged ? le VOL. XLIV, x a conilicbooks.cout