well remember that first appearance. I had no friends in the house that night, but I was not nearly so nervous as I felt when I sang in "Otello" for the first time, many years afterwards. When one is eighteen one has no fear. At the first rehearsal I trembled a little bit, for, you see, I was French-Canadian, and not Italian, but at the finish of my first song my brother and sister artistes took me up and almost carried me to my room.
Old Mar Lodge.
Drawing-room, Old Mar Lodge.
"It was there—at Messina—that I very nearly made the acquaintance of a madman; at any rate, I am sorry to say that I was the means of sending him back to the lunatic asylum again. In Italy presents to artistes are very numerous, and people pay one all sorts of attentions. It was the morning after the opera, and I was just dressed. My maid came to me and said there was a gentleman who wanted to see me below on most important business. I despatched my maid to say that I was very busy, when, a few minutes, afterwards, she returned with a huge parcel wrapped up in a beautiful lace shawl. I opened it, and there, to my surprise, were all kinds of jewellery—chains, lockets, diamond earrings, bracelets, brooches, and trinkets innumerable. I returned them at once, and it transpired that only the previous day the sender had been discharged from the asylum at Naples as quite cured. The same night he had come to the opera, and, I suppose, liked my singing. Where did the jewels come from? They belonged to his wife. He had stripped her jewel cases of everything. Poor fellow! he was sent back to Naples again.
