The Argosy — page 307: what you’re looking at

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

The Dtbut of Mademoiselle Agathe. 293 his exclusive homage to the heroine of the Nonpareil ; and her recep- tion of his attentions (whether from gratified vanity or any more sympathetic feeling, or both together, matters little) was so encouraging that what had originally been a momentary caprice onhis part had tnsensibly grown into a habit, and at the period when our sketch opens, he had become almost as regular an habitué of the Boulevard Males- herbes as the Count himself. Amanda was, however, far too alive to her own interests to risk any chance meeting between the two; and it required her utmost ingenuity (backed up by that of Mdlle. Esther) to invent a satisfactory alibi on every occasion when such irresistible temptations as a dinner at Saint Germain, or a baignoire at a boulevard theatre prevented her from doing the honours of her salon to M. de la Rivitre. But as every Parisian house has its concierge ; and as that modern Cerberus, as a general rule, is seldom insensible to the attrac- tion of a twenty-franc piece; the Count was by no means ata loss to account for her frequent absences from home when temporarily released from her professional duties, and if he said nothing to her respecting his discoveries, it might be that he thought the more. Mzanwhile matters were progressing at the Nonpareil. After along interview with M. Darbois, in the course of which Mdlle. Agathe’s début had been determined on, Jules had finished his reading, and the parts of “Les Hasards de l’Amour, vaudeville in one act,” had been distributed to the leading members of the company, including Mdlle. Amanda, who, to the despair of the chef-d’orchestre, peremptorily in- sisted on singing the couplets written for Ernestine. The first rehearsal was fixed for the following day, the manager being anxious to produce the piece as speedily as possible ; and in a few minutes the only occu- pants of the foyer were M. Darbois and Laroche. “ Now, listen to me,” said the former; “ bring your protégée here this afternoon, that I may see what she is like, and tell her to learn the part and rehearse it with you. If she is half as good as you say, she will make a hit.” “‘ But if Amanda persists in playing it ?” objected Jules. “Don’t trouble yourself about that ; I know what I know.” With which ambiguous assurance, and a Burleigh-like nod, M. Darbois quitted the room. We may be sure that his young companion lost no time in following his example. A week had elapsed since the events above recorded. Mdile Agathe, to the ineffable delight of Madame Boquillard, had so completely identified herself with the character of Ernestine as entirely to satisfy the expectations of the author; who privately communicated to the manager his conviction that one single repetition with her fellow per- formers would amply suffice to familiarise her with the exits and entrances and other stage arrangements of the Nonpareil. The actors, GONMGIOO SS (CO)