The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-04-03
|, THE REHEARSAL
BY RICHARD OM0NROY.

. q o. o O. o 20 o o o o o o
"Well, what luckY' l asked Nine
Bourrimel, my concierge" as I came
in the other evening. Her daughter
Leona, you must know, had presented
herself for examination at the Conserv-
atoire that day, and always make
point of appearing interested in my
"concierge's'' family affairs. find it
pays to do so.
"Ah, M. Richard, you come at just
the right moment. / was longing for
somebody to talk to about 1t. Sit down
there in my armchair by the latch
string, and I will tell you the whole
story.
'sWell, as you know, Leona had
| learned the role Of Blanche In lie Roi
s'Amuse,
"My husband-you know his political
opinions-chose the piece. He thought
| it would be good thing to show the
people the goings on Of the kings in the
old days before we had this blessed re-
public Besides, it is by Victor Hugo,
you know, and it seems to be fairly
well written. Leona's teacher-that
fat little NJ Guillemot with the red
cheeks, you know, and very nice man
he is, too, / must say, and always very
polite to newell, the teacher made no
objection, and so Leona studied up the
part of Blanche.
She seems to have been created
expressly for the role,' M. Guillemot
often said to me. She Is Blanche her
SELF
"She selected for the examination the
scene in the second act in which
Blanche confesses to Dame Berarde
| her love for the king. We went through
| it several times at home after supper.
s'The prince, ever kind and attentive,
held the book. and took the part Of
Dame Berarde, which was quite suited
to my years. There's ring at the bell,
M. Richard. Please pull the cord.
Thanks. Where was I? Oh. yes; Ire
member.
"Leona knew her lines so well that
she could have spoken them backward.
1.-THE prince had ordered her costume
and had even been good enough to go
with her when she went to try it on.
"sYou need not leave your post,
/ Mme Bourrimel,' he said. 7 will at
/ tend to everything
"Ah, but that costume was superb
| Imagine foulard with honeysuckles
and humming birds on white ground,
the skirt trimmed with three bands Of
purple velvet, square cut bodice, point
lace sleeves-but forget. You are a
man, and you can't imagine it.
"But when saw that dress my ma
ternal heart leaped for joy. and threw
my arms around the princes neck and
exclaimed. With such dress as that
Leona cannot help making success,
and it will be all owing to your gener-
osity.'
Indeed, M. Richard, was deeply
moved, 1 assure you, and the prince
himself was much affected. l even
thought saw tears behind his eye
glasses. Well, the great day came at
last, and we all set out for the Conserv-
atoire, accompanied by our neighbor,
Nine Frimard, and her daughter, who
has tried the examination in comedy
for the last six years and failed every
| time
But, M. Richard, the bell has rung
three times. Please open."
81 beg pardon, Nine. Bourrimel, am
a green concierge remember"
''Where was 1? Oh, to be sure, at the
| Conservative. Leona went to the stage
door with Mile. Frimard, who was to
take the part of Dame Berarde, and
Nine. Frimard and got seats together
| in the little red theater. They call it
'Etruscan,' l believe, but 1t is quite
pretty for all that
"Of course the prince, being connect
ed with the Russian embassy, could
not be with us. He sat in q proscenium
box, right behind the presidents wife.
All, there's a lady who knows how to
dress! I couldn't keep my eyes off the
bright yellow capote perched on top Of
her shiny black hair
"Of course Nine. Frimard. whose
daughter had been going through the
mill SO long. knew all the critics and
the members Of the jury, and she point
ed them out to me while we were wait
ing for Leona to appear.
''That fat man, sound asleep, was
Maurice Tourcey. He always slept at
these exhibitions.
saThe dark, shabby man was Victor
Fessard, who had left politics for lit
srature at the age Of so and now slash
ed right and left to make people think
he knew all about it, just as people
hiss bullfghts to pretend they are
Spaniards.
1.-THE gentleman with the long hair
and the big mustache was La Puiser-
aye, who was kindness itself, and the
man who looked like a general was
Auguste Destu, an honest man and a
scholar.
"Then, in the jury box. there was
Dumas. the smiling Jules Claretie, the
amiable Halevy. The shriveled looking
person was Camille Doucet.
"The old man III the middle, with
head like grand priests, was the
president, Ambrose Thomas, and the
merry, knocking silhouette in the last
row was Cadet, Of the Coincide Fran
caise. 1t was great fun for me. Nine.
Frimard knew them all very well, she
had been to see them SO often on her
daughters account.
Now and then the prince leaned for