Patti and Mario in "Faust." (Her first appearance as Marguerite.)
From a Photo. by L. Calderi & Co., Pall Mall.
door giving a glimpse of a cosy little boudoir, which contains, among other interesting objects, a number of water-colour drawings from the gifted hand of the fair lady herself. Here, too, are displayed a collection of photographs of royal and eminent personages, among others, the late Emperor William and his unfortunate son, and the Empress Eugénie of the French. No portrait is more charming than that of the Princess of Wales, standing with her arm round the waist of the Empress of Russia in the most sisterly fashion imaginable, whilst on a scroll below a of few words gracious compliment are written in her own charming hand. Another picture, much valued by the recipient, is that of the late King and Queen of Spain, with their baby-boy between them, and the inscription, "Mille félicitations sincères, and many happy returns of the day, surtout parmi nous." A likeness, the last taken before his death, of the Duke of Albany, England's youngest princely son, is framed, together with a letter craving for "the counterfeit presentment" of Madame Patti in return. In the boudoir, as in the drawing-room, there is scarcely an object amongst her surroundings which is not connected in some manner with the record of her professional achievements, but in the billiard-rooms and splendid new dining-hall, where next our kind hostess conducted us, all remembrances of her celebrity seem banished for the time being. Craig-y-nos Castle is perhaps the only house existing where two billiard rooms are to be found, a second, "The French Room," as it is called, having been built to take in the magnificent table which Madame Patti purchased at the Chicago Exhibition. A huge orchestrion, brought over from Geneva, and which plays every conceivable air, from Clairette's song in "La Fille de Madame Angot" to the Pilgrims' March in "Tannhäuser," is always wound up when a game of billiards is commenced, and whilst the diva handles her cue, or watches her opponent's game, she sings half-unconsciously the while to the tunes given by her favourite instrument. On very rare occasions the gifted lady will produce the castagnettes she once used in "Carmen," and will dance as well as sing in the most delightful manner. The far-famed "Patti Theatre," of which so much has already been said and written, leads out of the dining and billiard rooms, and here, in the presence of her friends and neighbours, the diva has proved that she can shine with brilliant lustre as a comédienne when the fancy takes her to show her powers in that line. Patti's pride in this theatre knows no bounds—a pride scarcely to be wondered at, for a prettier little playhouse it would be impossible to imagine. At first only designed for the use of her guests, the plan grew in dimensions, and the "Patti Theatre" is now a pleasant rendezvous for all the town and country folks within twenty miles
